


Twelve Days of Chatmas

by TaurusPixie



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gift Fic, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, LadyNoir - Freeform, Romance, Slapstick, Song Parody, Twelve Days Of Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28072950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaurusPixie/pseuds/TaurusPixie
Summary: Christmas is fast approaching, and Chat Noir is determined to get Ladybug the perfect gift. The problem is, they all keep going disastrously wrong. Will Chat Noir be able to find Ladybug the perfect gift in time?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 38
Kudos: 49





	1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LycoRogue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycoRogue/gifts).



> Welcome! This is a piece that I had wrote a few years ago as a Christmas gift to my friends, so I thought I would post it on here as well for your enjoyment and their re-enjoyment. I'll be posting a chapter for this story every day up until Christmas. I hope that you all enjoy!
> 
> I would like to dedicate this story as a little Christmas present for my dear friends TLOS21, LycoRogue, ChibiRinni, and oh-calliope, all of whom have been wonderful friends to me. It's not much, especially compared to everything you've all done for me, but I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless. You guys mean the world to me.

"OUCH!" Adrien cried out as he gave himself a paper-cut for the fifth time.

He slowly brought his index finger up to his mouth and sucked on it gently, wincing slightly as it carried on stinging. His back was beginning to ache from having been sat at his desk all day, but he didn't care. His fingers were covered in paper cuts and his hands were covered in glue and glitter, as if he was merely a five-year-old child rather than a fourteen-year-old teenager. His desk looked like a bomb had hit it with all the arts and crafts stuff that was piled everywhere.

Adrien had to admit that he may have gone a bit overboard while shopping for all this stuff, but he had no idea what he would need. He wasn't a very creative person, so how was he supposed to know? But he supposed it was better to overdo it and be safe than to have run out of everything and begin panicking.

Taking a deep breath, Adrien got back to working on his little project that he had been working on all day. He just hoped that she liked it. He had really wanted to make her something special. Ladybug was a tough nut to crack when it came to figuring out what would impress her.

But Adrien was determined.

He was determined to get Ladybug the perfect Christmas present.

He had spent many hours shopping around, hoping that maybe something would jump out at him. Unfortunately nothing ever did. So that got Adrien wondering: what if he made her something? Maybe that would make it more special? It would be more of a gift from the heart, and it would be an added bonus if he could impress Ladybug with his creative skills.

After all, Adrien managed to excel in everything else, so why not arts and crafts?

Unfortunately though, his father never deemed it a subject fit for him to learn. He learned about art history, but his father never really allowed him to get creative himself unless it came to something involving fashion. Adrien had never got to make sculptures or paint pictures. He only really remembered doing it when he was a little kid, but as he got older, his father had wanted him to focus more on his academic subjects.

But how hard could it be?

He was only creating a small sculpture after all.

"Finished!" Adrien yelled gleefully, staring down at his creation.

However, his attention was soon brought away from his work by the sight of Plagg zooming over to hover next to him and inspect his handy work. He watched as Plagg gazed down at it with narrowed and confused eyes. But it wasn't long until it sounded like his kwami was trying to supress a chuckle. That instantly caused Adrien's heart to sink in his chest.

"What exactly is it supposed to be?" Plagg asked.

"It's a partridge in a pear tree, duh!" Adrien growled out before staring at his work again.

Plagg sniggered. "It looks like it's going to fall apart at any second."

It wasn't that bad…was it?

Adrien had been feeling pretty confident about it up until now, but Plagg's reaction now had him feeling self-conscious. Would Ladybug be able to tell what it was supposed to be? Adrien could easily tell, but was that just because he was the artist behind it? He was pretty sure that he had followed the online tutorial precisely.

The little sculpture of a tree made out of card stuck out of the small plant pot with green glittery leaves decorating it. The small partridge sat on top with a note clasped in it's beak, bearing Ladybug's name. Little, red, glittery love hearts also hung down from the branches of the tree, though Adrien had immediately known that he may have gone a bit overboard with those. But he just couldn't help himself. Each time he thought of Ladybug, he just had to include another heart to maybe help convey just how much she meant to him.

He had spent so long trying to come up with this idea. He had wanted to give her something special and from the heart, and maybe something with the theme of Christmas. He really hoped that Ladybug liked it. He couldn't exactly trust Plagg's opinions. Plagg would tease him over anything.

"Why would Ladybug want something like that?" Plagg's voice brought Adrien out of his thoughts again. "Why not just get her a delicious piece of camembert?"

"Because that's not special," Adrien sighed out, "besides, I'm sure Ladybug has better taste than that. I wanted to make her something that helps show how I feel about her."

"You're thinking way too hard about this." Plagg rolled his eyes.

"The problem is, I don't think I'm thinking _hard enough_ about it. Ladybug's so beautiful and amazing." Adrien sighed dreamily, staring up at his ceiling with hooded eyes. "What could I possibly get that's worthy of her?"

Plagg groaned. "Annnnddd he's gone into mushy mode again."

Adrien ignored Plagg's comment as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. Ladybug did such amazing things every day. She kept all of Paris safe and helped so many people. She deserved so much more than what he had to offer. He just really wanted to show her his love and appreciation. After all, wasn't that what Christmas was all about?

And maybe – just maybe – if he impressed her with his gift enough, she might be so happy that she would treasure it forever. She might be so touched by his efforts that, if he was lucky, she might grant him a kiss under the mistletoe, something he had been dying to do with her last year, but never got the chance. Maybe this year would be his lucky year. She would kiss him under the mistletoe and that might help her finally develop feelings for him. Then they could get married, run away together and live on an island with a hamster called –

"Speaking of Ladybug, shouldn't you have joined her on patrol ten minutes ago?"

Adrien was instantly brought down from his daydream with a painful bump. His eyes widened and his breath hitched in panic as he caught sight of the time in the corner of his computer screen. Plagg was right. He should have met Ladybug ten minutes ago. He had become so consumed by his fantasies that he had completely lost track of time.

"Oh no! Ladybug's gonna kill me!" Adrien yelped as he leapt out of his chair with so much force that it was sent flying backwards. But he didn't care. Things already weren't going as planned. Ladybug would be in an annoyed mood with him. That wasn't exactly a perfect start and a good way to segway into giving Ladybug her present.

What if she hated it? What if Plagg was right and his gift was horrible? What if she was so annoyed with him for being late to patrol that she rejected his gift? Then he would never get that kiss under the mistletoe. He would never get to propose. They would never get the cute hamster!

How was it possible that everything had already started going so disastrously wrong?!

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled, drawing an annoyed looking Plagg into his ring.

In a burst of green light, he became Chat Noir. He was about to jump out of his window when he suddenly remembered his gift and turned around to quickly grab it. It was a shame that he didn't have time to wrap it, but it would have to do as it was. Wrapping it might ruin it anyway.

Panicking, Chat Noir glided through the city of Paris, sprinting across the rooftops to his and Ladybug's usual meet-up spot for when they patrolled the city. All the while, he tried to keep his gift for Ladybug gently cradled in his hand. He cursed as some of the decorations began to work themselves loose, and that's when he realised that he hadn't given the glue enough time to dry. Some of the hearts slid down the tree, and Chat Noir cried out in horror as one of them was blown off by the cold, winter breeze.

Oh well, Ladybug wouldn't notice if one heart was missing…right?

Chat Noir gulped and halted in his tracks as he could see Ladybug pacing the rooftop in front of him, continuously checking her yo-yo before sighing and going back to pacing. She looked so beautiful with the setting sun behind her. The way the sunlight shone against her dark hair, the way her suit clung to her petite frame, the way she looked up from her yo-yo, a little worried crease forming between her eyebrows. His heart immediately began beating rapidly at the mere sight of her. His mouth began to dry up, and little butterflies fluttered around his stomach.

This was it.

He could do this.

He could give her the present.

He'd worked hard on it. It was a labour of his love for her.

But what if she hated it?

"Chat Noir?"

Chat Noir jumped slightly at the sudden sound of his name being called. His eyes refocused on reality again as they were met with the sight of Ladybug having stopped pacing. She was now turned towards him, staring at him in confusion.

"I was starting to get worried; where were you?" Ladybug asked. "What are you doing standing over there?"

Ladybug quickly hooked her yo-yo around the chimney next to him and pulled herself over. She landed gracefully next to him, gazing up at him with her blue eyes full of concern. How Chat Noir wished he could stare into those eyes and become lost in them forever. He couldn't think of a better way to spend an eternity.

He gulped again as words became caught in his throat. He clung onto his gift as all he could do was stare at her wordlessly.

"Okay, now I'm really worried," Ladybug said, sounding increasingly panicked, "you're never this quiet. Has something happened?"

"No!" Chat Noir quickly reassured her, watching as Ladybug's shoulders relaxed, though she still looked up at him in confusion.

"Then what's going on? Why were you so late?"

"I…errrr…" Chat Noir wanted to slap himself. He had always managed to be so confident around her, so what was going on now? Was it because this was the first gift he had ever gotten her? Was it because he was terrified of her rejecting it? Chat Noir wasn't sure, but he knew that his plan was likely in ruins. But still, he didn't want to continue to freak her out.

"I-I got you a Christmas present…well…made you a Christmas present." Chat Noir immediately held up the little sculpture that he had made for her.

Ladybug's eyes widened in surprise before she blinked as she stared at it.

"Aww, Chat, you didn't have to –"

_Woooosh!_

A strong, wintery breeze blew by them, destroying what was left of Chat Noir's sculpture. The trunk of the tree was nearly torn completely off, leaving it hanging as the little love hearts were blown away by the wind. The partridge slid down the tree, the still wet glue leaving a smear as it did so, leaving the whole sculpture looking incredibly deformed and pathetic.

All Chat Noir could do was stare at it in his hands, his eye twitching slightly.

"Chat, are –"

"And this wasn't it! This wasn't the present I got you." Chat Noir laughed nervously, beginning to back away. "As if I would get you something so horrible."

"Chat, it's fi –"

"Next time I see you, I'll give you the present you deserve. This was just a little joke." Chat faked a laugh. "But I promise that you shall have a Christmas present worthy of someone as amazing as you! You'll see!" Chat Noir continued to yell as he dropped the sculpture and took off.

"Chat! Wait! What about –"

But it was too late. Chat Noir had already disappeared from view.

"Patrol," Ladybug sighed out before glancing down at the broken sculpture Chat Noir had dropped.

Curious, she reached down and gently picked it up off the roof tiles and admired Chat Noir's work before staring in the direction he had disappeared. Ladybug smiled and slowly shook her head as she carefully clung onto Chat Noir's sculpture before taking off into the sunset.

* * *


	2. Two Turtle Doves

"You kidnapped some random birds?" Plagg shrieked before he burst out laughing. The small, black kwami rolled over on Adrien's bed, clutching his stomach as his obnoxious laughter continued to fill the room.

Adrien turned around to glare at him before yelping as the two turtle doves he had found and sneaked into the house began to rapidly fly around his room again, constantly slamming themselves against his giant window as they attempted to flee into the sky. Adrien quickly ran after them, trying to get them to calm down. He sneezed as a few feathers worked their way free of the birds, fluttering down to his bedroom floor. His nose began to burn, but if this is what it took for him to get Ladybug the perfect gift, then so be it.

"I did not kidnap them!" Adrien finally managed to protest as the two turtle doves slowly calmed down and settled themselves onto his basketball hoop. They titled their heads to the side as they looked down at both Plagg and Adrien.

Plagg managed to get himself to stop laughing for a few seconds to gasp out, "you grabbed some random birds off the street. That's called kidnapping."

"I'm not hurting them!" Adrien argued. "It was a spur of the moment decision to do something romantic for Ladybug. I heard that turtle doves were Christmas-y and it got me thinking. Then when I actually saw them, I thought I had been blessed with the perfect romantic opportunity." Adrien sneezed again.

"I don't think sneezing in Ladybug's face constitutes a romantic moment." Plagg chuckled.

"Ah, you see this is why I have come up with the most perfect plan." Adrien smirked smugly, folding his arms across his chest. "The turtle doves aren't the main present, they're just a small part of it." He then turned to look at the doves, beginning to look slightly worried. "Though I must admit, when I pictured turtle doves, I thought they'd be the romantic white kind that you see at weddings and stuff. These guys just look like pigeons."

"So your plan has already backfired." Plagg sniggered.

"No!" Adrien quickly defended. "I-it's a good thing…I can work with this. Pigeons are easily trained right? I was going to have the turtle doves carry some flowers and a card to Ladybug, and it will all be very romantic and mysterious. At least this way, I don't have to worry about getting shy like last time, nor do I have to show my face after the whole embarrassment of yesterday. Then Ladybug will be so happy, that she'll forget about what happened yesterday, and we'll all live happily ever after!"

"Yeah – umm – I'm pretty sure I can already spot several flaws in this little plan of yo –"

"We'll all live happily ever after!" Adrien yelled slightly manically at his kwami again.

Plagg's ears flattened against his head. "Okay, okay, whatever you say, kid."

"This is the perfect gift for Ladybug, I just know it," Adrien proclaimed confidently before holding up a bag of seeds he had brought up from their kitchen supplies. "Now I just need to train them."

It took a lot longer and a lot more effort than Adrien had been expecting. At first, the birds just simply did not want to co-operate. They just simply stared at him before flying around the room, completely ignoring him before slamming themselves against his window again. However, Adrien soon managed to capture their attention with the seeds as soon as he sneezed, causing a few of them to spill out of the packet and onto the floor. The birds immediately began devouring them and managed to figure out where they had come from.

Adrien smirked as they continued to walk towards him, staring at him, waiting for him to drop some more. Hopefully now he could try and train them to carry Ladybug's gifts. It took him all afternoon, but he finally managed to get them both to fly towards his basketball hoop at the same time with the gifts carried in their clutches. Meanwhile, Plagg had been laughing the whole time, especially when one of them pooped on Adrien's desk and the other had tried to snatch the bag of seeds right out of his hands. For dumb birds, they could be pretty crafty sometimes.

"You still don't actually believe this will work, do you?" Plagg questioned as he tossed a piece of camembert in his mouth, swallowing it whole.

"I managed to keep getting them to fly to the basketball hoop with the gifts," Adrien explained, feeding the birds a few more seeds to keep them interested.

"But Ladybug isn't a basketball hoop."

"I know she's not." Adrien took a deep calming breath as his nerves began to build. Plagg's doubt certainly wasn't making him feel any better. "I'm sure the birds will work it out." Adrien sneezed again.

Plagg shook his head. "How did I ever end up with a Chat Noir who was allergic to feathers? It's such a disgrace to cat-kind."

Adrien gasped as he caught sight of the position of the sun in the sky.

"We better get going if we hope to catch Ladybug in time," he urged.

"Aww, but I was having so much fun watching you be a bird whisperer," Plagg groaned.

Adrien ignored his kwami's jibes. "Plagg, claws out!"

Plagg groaned again as he was drawn into the ring, once again transforming Adrien into Chat Noir. He grabbed hold of his gifts for Ladybug before quickly herding the two turtle doves into two small cages he had gotten so he could carry them around the city while he looked for Ladybug. He opened his window and launched himself out, the birds flapping their wings in panic, sending feathers flying everywhere. Chat Noir's nose burned even more, and his throat felt incredibly scratchy as he continued to sneeze. He just hoped that his constant sneezing wouldn't give him away to Ladybug if he stumbled across her closer than he would have liked.

But for once, luck seemed to be on his side. It wasn't long before he spotted Ladybug in the distance, sitting on a roof and watching the Eiffel Tower as it began to sparkle. He could just about make out her awed expression, and it looked like she was in her own little world. How was it that every time he saw her, she only looked _more_ breath-taking? Her beauty and infectious happiness was something that he never got use to. He couldn't help but freeze in place and stare at her dreamily, wanting nothing more than to be able to watch her forever.

But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't.

He needed to get these gifts to her.

Taking a deep breath, Chat Noir placed the cages on the ground before crouching down next to them, carefully unlocking the doors. The birds stayed huddled inside the cages, once again tilting their heads at Chat Noir. He smiled down at them, waving the bag of seeds in front of them in an attempt to entice them out. They began slowly making their way forward, as if the bag of seeds had hypnotised them.

Good. Hopefully this meant that Chat Noir's training had worked.

He lured them further forward with the promise of food, leading them towards Ladybug's red roses and card that had been delicately placed on the ground. Chat Noir began to grow more confident as the birds seemed to remember to grab hold of them, jumping on top of the gifts and gripping them between their toes.

"Good little birds," Chat praised, once again waving the bag of seeds in front of them, "now remember what comes next?"

Chat Noir pointed towards Ladybug who was still sitting down on top of the roof of an apartment building, still staring into space. Her legs dangled off the edge of the roof, kicking gently back and forth. She still hadn't spotted him, but Chat Noir knew that it wouldn't be long before she did, so he knew he needed to get a move on.

The birds seemed unsure at first, but right before Chat Noir was about to start panicking, the two turtle doves finally took off, once again causing him to sneeze. However, his discomfort soon turned into glee as he watched the birds fly towards Ladybug.

 _Yes!_ Chat Noir mentally cheered. It was going to work! They were going to take the gifts to her!

He watched as they flew closer to Ladybug. Closer and closer and closer, until…

They flew right by her.

Chat Noir's joyous expression morphed into one of horror as he watched the birds continue to fly into the horizon, disappearing from view with his gifts for Ladybug still clutched tightly against them. Ladybug had snapped out of her daydream as they flew passed her, watching them as they flew away before she blinked and squinted her eyes in confusion.

His heart sinking, Chat Noir quickly ducked behind a tree just in time as Ladybug's gaze whipped around to look in his direction. He held his breath, hoping that she hadn't seen and figured things out. The seconds ticked by, and there was no sound of Ladybug coming towards him, so he finally dared himself to peer around the trunk of the tree to see what she was doing.

She was standing on top of the roof now, still looking around in confusion. After another few seconds, he watched as his lady finally seemed to shrug to herself before pulling her yo-yo from around her hips and taking off into the evening.

All the while, Chat Noir could feel his heart shredding itself into pieces, only for them to then be blown away by the evening breeze. He slammed his head against the tree trunk in humiliation and frustration. How could he have been so stupid? He should have known that the turtle doves would need more than a day's training. Now he was never going to hear the end of it off Plagg, and it meant that he now no longer had a gift for Ladybug once again.

It looked like he needed to go back to the drawing board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and thank you for the lovely kudos! See you tomorrow!


	3. Three French Hens

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing her lucky charm object into the air, causing waves of miraculous magic to surround them, fixing all of the damage that had been caused by the akuma victim. The cages were all fixed and the faverolles chickens were back in place. The whole house was back to way it had been looking before, as if a huge battle had not just occurred within its grounds.

Chat Noir stared down at his hand that was still glowing with his black, cataclysm magic. He hadn't even gotten to use it. He had been so useless during this fight. In fact, when wasn't there a fight he wasn't useless in? Ladybug could handle any akuma attack with her eyes closed. Sometimes Chat Noir wondered why she put up with him. Was it pity?

He sighed to himself, trying to push those thoughts out of his mind. The fact that he was still disappointed over not having found a gift for Ladybug yet probably wasn't helping his overall mood. All he felt like doing now was sulking because nothing seemed to be going right for him lately.

He had been awake almost all night trying to come up with another idea for a Christmas present. Then, just as he felt like he was about to think of something, a new akuma villain struck, instantly drawing him away from his thoughts and ideas. Of course, that meant Ladybug's gift had to take a back seat, meaning he now had nothing to give to her today.

Chat Noir almost couldn't look Ladybug in the eye during their fight with Liberator, an akumatized animal rights activist, determined to free all of the caged hens from a house on the outskirts of Paris. After what had happened two days ago with his statue gift, she must think he was incredibly pathetic. But she had acted pretty normal with him.

"This feels…wrong…" Ladybug's voice brought Chat Noir out of his deep thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Using my lucky charm to fix this awful place. I mean, look at these poor chickens, I can understand where this man is coming from," Ladybug explained, gazing sadly around at all of the chickens that were confined in small cages. Most of them looked pretty sickly. A lot of them had lost a lot of feathers, and some had cuts on their wings from where they had gotten caught in the bars of the cages. The poor creatures had no room to move at all.

Chat Noir stared down at Ladybug with a small smile on his face. He had no idea that Ladybug was such an animal lover. But then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Ladybug was such an amazing, caring person that it was natural that she would feel sorry for these poor chickens. She had such a pure heart. He felt unworthy to even desire to possess it, but he knew that he would cherish it for as long as he lived.

With a dispirited sigh, Ladybug slowly walked towards the animal rights activist who was beginning to come around from his ordeal. He was crouched on the ground on his hands and knees, shaking his head before looking around in confusion. The man froze at the sight of Ladybug, who crouched down to his level.

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked.

The man looked away, frowning. "No. I know I should feel bad for what just happened, but honestly, I don't. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but it's not fair for these chickens to be kept like this. It's abuse, plain and simple. It's not fair that they spend most of their lives in cages. This farm is illegal. It's not run by proper farmers. These people just bought these chickens and shoved them in cages. This place is even worse than a proper battery farm. But no one will listen to me. The police and the council don't seem to want to deal with it."

Chat Noir turned to look at the chickens again. They all looked so miserable in their tiny, dirty cages. In a way, Chat Noir could almost relate. He knew what it was like to be locked away from the world. To not be able to see or touch many people. To not have any friends. To not see the outside world, breathe the fresh air, stare up at the wide, open sky and stretch his arms and legs out. Chat Noir knew what it was like to be prisoner. Only these chickens suffered much worse.

"I know, but violence isn't the answer," Ladybug spoke to him patiently. "It is a shame about the chickens, but I'm sure there are other ways you can help rather than attacking and getting aggressive with people."

Chat Noir looked down at his hand again before looking back up at Ladybug. He had never seen Ladybug struggle so much to comfort an akuma victim before. It looked like the situation pained Ladybug almost as much as it did the man she was trying to comfort. It now seemed she was unable to bring herself to look up at the suffering chickens. They kept clucking and crying out, and the sound was becoming more and more unbearable with each passing second.

It tugged at Chat Noir's heart, and seeing his lady's pained expression caused his chest to constrict even more.

"Maybe you could set up a petition and finally get the police to investigate this place?" Ladybug suggested.

Chat Noir chuckled, causing them both to look up at him in confusion.

"Oh come on, my lady, I thought you were more proactive than that," Chat Noir teased, winking at her. "Why bother with all of that when you have a chicken liberator right here?" He held up his hand which continued to glow with cataclysm magic.

Smirking, Chat Noir ran towards the cages and began to drag his hand along the edges of them, making sure not to lose his grip before all of the chickens had been freed. Luckily, the cages were so tightly compacted together in the small, dark room that he didn't have to worry too much about that.

Soon enough, all of the metal cages had completely disintegrated, allowing the chickens to fall to the floor, freeing them forever. Ladybug and the man both watched in a state of complete shock as the chickens began to roam freely around the room, seeming as if they almost didn't know what to do with themselves.

Chat Noir folded his arms across his chest, smiling down at his handy work.

"Dude, thank you so much!" The activist cried out, running towards Chat Noir and enveloping him in a tight hug. Chat Noir smiled awkwardly and patted him on the back, having done this more for Ladybug and the chickens than this guy, but he was glad he could make someone else happy as well.

"I'm pretty sure you can give them decent homes," Chat Noir suggested, "because after what happened earlier, I'm pretty sure you scared the guy who runs this place away for good." Chat Noir laughed. "Besides, this place was illegal, so I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about him going to the police over you taking his chickens."

"I will, don't worry!" The man yelled excitedly. "I'll just go and get some back-up to help me evacuate the chickens. You're amazing Chat Noir!" He continued to yell as he ran back upstairs and out of the basement of the Parisian suburban house.

Chat Noir smiled at his retreating form before freezing as he felt a warm arm snake around his own. He looked down and instantly blushed at the sight of Ladybug beaming up at him.

"That was a very nice thing you did," Ladybug praised.

"Yeah, well, I don't like to see innocent creatures suffering." Chat Noir puffed out his chest, placing his free hand on his hip in the hopes of looking impressive.

Maybe this was the perfect gift for Ladybug? Freeing these chickens obviously made her really happy, so maybe doing a good deed for Ladybug was the perfect gift? Maybe he had been thinking about this all wrong. Ladybug was a superhero who took her job seriously. So maybe, Chat Noir finally proving himself useful, and that he could do something good was a gift that Ladybug could really appreciate. A simple gesture of good will could be his gift for her.

As if agreeing with his thoughts, one of the chickens clucked happily at his feet before laying an egg on the ground. Smiling happily, Chat Noir bent down to pick it up before holding it towards Ladybug who stared at it in confusion.

"Here you go, my lady. The first free range egg from these chickens."

It seemed silly, but maybe it could be a beautiful, romantic symbol.

Ladybug laughed. "I don't think that's quite how that works, silly kitty."

However, Ladybug still smiled warmly at him and looked like she was about to take the egg off him when three of the hens began to surround Chat Noir, flapping their wings as they tried to jump up at him. Instinctively, Chat Noir tried to lean away from them before losing his balance and dropping the egg on the ground, watching in horror as the shell smashed, causing the egg to leak everywhere. This only seemed to make the three hens that were jumping up at him even madder.

"Hey! Get off!" Chat Noir yelled, beginning to panic, getting startled every time one of the chickens tried to jump up at him, flapping their wings rapidly and clucking loudly.

Chat Noir continued to back away, but the chickens continued to chase him.

"Hey, I freed you! I'm your friend, your saviour!" Chat Noir cried out as he began running around the room, trying to get away from them. The hens were determined though, and whatever Chat Noir had done to offend them, they certainly weren't going to leave him alone.

Chat Noir then screamed, throwing his hands in the air as he began sprinting up the stairs, all the while, Ladybug clutched her stomach, laughing hysterically at the sight of her partner being chased out of the room by a group of angry chickens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad to see so many people enjoying this story! Thank you for all the love! See you tomorrow!


	4. Four Calling Birds

Adrien sulkily walked down the street with his hands in his jean pockets and his head bowed. He had once again been up all night, cooped up in his room, unable to think of any other ideas for a gift for Ladybug. So far, all of his attempts had ended in disaster to a point where Adrien was now beginning to wonder if he was cursed. What else would explain three attempts in a row failing?

Unable to handle Plagg's teasing any longer, Adrien knew he had to get out of the house and get some fresh air. Luckily, his father didn't seem to have much planned for him lately, which gave Adrien plenty of free time to ponder his situation.

The cold, wintery air did feel nice against his skin and helped keep him awake after his two sleepless nights in a row. He made sure to keep the scarf his father had given him tightly wrapped around his neck and face. For some reason, the scarf always seemed to carry with it the faint fragrance of freshly baked bread. Adrien was unsure why, but it was a nice, comforting smell, and at the same time, it was oddly familiar.

Feeling down, Adrien made sure to keep the scarf pressed against his mouth just under his nose, so that he could inhale the warm, comforting scent as he walked around the streets of Paris. However, this time, it did little to lift his spirits. He was still gift-less and unable to impress his lady. He had embarrassed himself in front of her twice now. What must she think of him?

Adrien sighed to himself as he began to walk down the quieter, more narrow streets of the city, wishing to be on his own and not have to avoid all of the Christmas shoppers who barged past him with bags full of presents as if they were trying to mock him.

Why was it so hard to come up with a gift for Ladybug?

The streets grew darker, but Adrien wasn't really paying much attention to where he was going. He just simply stared down at the ground beneath him, watching as his feet continuously stepped forward, his heart sinking lower and lower into his chest the more he thought about his situation.

Adrien needed a miracle.

"Hey, you look like a kid who has a special someone in your life."

A strange, gruff voice snapped Adrien out of his thoughts. He looked around rapidly for the sudden voice that had filled the narrow street he had been walking in. Adrien turned back around to gaze back in the direction he had come, only to see a small man he hadn't noticed before leaning against one of the streetlights. He was dressed in a long, brown trench coat, and his hair was black and greasy. He wore a matching brown bowler hat and had dark stubble on his chin. Behind him was large cage the contained four blackbirds who were happily sat on their perches, minding their own business.

Adrien looked around again, however, he was unable to see anyone else on the street, so it must have been this man who had been speaking.

"Me?" Adrien pointed to himself.

"Why of course!" The man cheerfully confirmed. "A handsome young man like you is bound to have a special someone in their life."

Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his head shyly. "Well…there is this one girl…"

"And I'm sure she's quite the beauty as well. A beautiful girl for a handsome young man such as yourself. You need to make sure you get her an extra special gift for Christmas this year. You can't be taking beautiful girls for granted, take it from me." The man wheezed out a chuckle.

Adrien glanced down sadly. "I…I don't have a gift for her yet."

"Well then you're in luck, boy!" The man yelled excitedly, causing Adrien to immediately perk up slightly, interested in what this strange man had to say.

"You know what I could get her?"

"Aye son, and they're right here." The man gestured to the caged blackbirds behind him.

Adrien sneezed. "I think I've dealt with enough birds to last me a lifetime at this point. But thanks anyway."

Adrien was about to walk away when the man tightly clasped his arm to prevent him from leaving. Startled, Adrien stared down at the man's dirty hand before looking back up in alarm and confusion. The man quickly let go of him before gesturing to the birds again.

"Ah, but these aren't just any old birds. These birds are special."

Frowning at them, Adrien noted, "they look just like regular old blackbirds to me." He then sneezed again.

"But don't you know the amazing talents that blackbirds possess?" The man explained. "Blackbirds are almost like parrots you see, able to mimic and copy almost any sound, including human speech."

"Huh, I didn't know they could do that." Adrien stared at them in shock.

"I had these birds perched outside an opera house for days. They can now sing beautifully and I guarantee you that they'll impress your dear lady. These birds singing her a song will create the most beautiful romantic moment you could ever ask for!"

"Really?" Adrien placed a hand on his chin in thought.

Maybe this was the perfect gift? Adrien had asked for a miracle, and it seemed he had gotten one. Surely, Ladybug wouldn't be able to help being in awe at the sound of beautiful singing coming from the blackbirds? Surely this would impress her? It would certainly be an unusual and unique gift unlike any other; it would create a moment to remember forever. Maybe the song the birds would sing would be so romantic that Ladybug would fall for him right there and then.

The idea was sounding more and more appealing by the second.

"All you have to do is snap your fingers and the birds will start singing," the man continued to explain.

"Could you show me?" Adrien asked excitedly.

"I – ummm – well…" the man suddenly stuttered, "how about you keep it a surprise? That way you and your girlfriend can be amazed at the same time?"

"Hmmm…I guess…"

"Great! Then they're all yours son – errr – for a suitable price of course."

Adrien smiled, pulling out his wallet. "Do you take cash?" Adrien asked as he pulled a large wad out from his wallet, only to have the euro notes immediately snatched off him by the man.

"Cash will be great!" The man cried out as he began counting while walking off. "Enjoy."

Adrien sighed in satisfaction before turning to beam at the birds who were soon about to provide him with the perfect romantic moment. It was almost as if this strange man was a saint sent down from heaven just to help Adrien out in his moment of uncertainty. Adrien was about to turn around and thank him, however when he did so, the man had already vanished.

Beaming in delight, Adrien pulled his coat open slightly to reveal a sleepy Plagg nestled inside.

"I think I've finally found Ladybug the perfect gift!" Adrien announced.

Plagg yawned before rolling his eyes. "I refuse to accept the idea that anything other than camembert is the perfect gift. Claiming anything else to be is just blasphemy…well…unless it's another type of stinky cheese I guess."

Adrien smiled and shook his head. "We better get this gift to Ladybug! Plagg, claws out!"

"Huh, whaaa…? Heeeeey!" Plagg yelled, being drawn into the silver ring against his will.

Soon, Chat Noir stood where Adrien once did. He smiled in determination as he strode towards the birds who were still resting on their perches, seemingly unphased by the bright transformation that had just occurred before them. Wow, these birds really were well trained, Chat Noir thought to himself, certainly better than he had trained those turtle doves. He quickly shook his head at those memories, unwilling to think about how horrible that experience had gone. Hopefully this time, he would have a lot more luck.

After getting a sneezing fit out of the way, Chat Noir grabbed hold of the cage, grunting under the weight slightly, but was still luckily able to easily carry it. Extending his baton, Chat Noir carried himself and the birds to the roof of the building he had been stood next to before making a beeline for the nearest park.

With it being cold and late in the day, the park was pretty much deserted, which was exactly how Chat Noir wanted it. He didn't want anyone interrupting this moment. Tonight was just going to be him and Ladybug, and this time, nothing would go wrong. He would give Ladybug her gift and she would be amazed.

Chat Noir set the bird cage down on the ground before he sneezed and pulled out his baton again. Luckily, it looked like Ladybug was out and about this evening, patrolling the city for another night. So he wasted no time in calling her.

"Chat Noir? What are you doing out and about?" Ladybug asked in shock.

"Good evening, my lady. I have a surprise for you," Chat explained quickly, "I'll send you my location."

"A surprise? What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Chat Noir purred happily before hanging up the call and sending her his location. He then stood as far away from the birdcage as possible to prevent any further sneezing fits, and waited.

The streetlights were beginning to turn on, as were lights in people's houses and apartments. It gave the city a very warm, orange glow as the clouds in the sky began to turn a deep shade of purple. Chat Noir's heart began to flutter in his chest at the thought of Ladybug arriving at any second. No matter how much time went by, his love for her was still as overwhelming as it had been when he had first fallen for her.

However, his heart soon leapt upwards and almost exited his mouth at the sound of Ladybug landing behind him. He turned around and plastered on the warmest smile he could, though he had a feeling that it probably looked really awkward and goofy. Ladybug stared at him in confusion as she slowly and cautiously walked over to him, suspicious over what he had planned.

"Can you tell me what's going on now?" Ladybug asked, beginning to sound a little bit worried.

"Ssssh." Chat Noir gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pointed towards the blackbirds. "We'll just let the birds do the talking."

Biting his lip in excitement, Chat Noir snapped his fingers.

_SCREEEEEEEEEECCCCCCHHHH!_

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug yelped, instantly covering their ears to protect them from the horrific sound escaping from the beaks of the four blackbirds. It sounded a thousand times worse than someone running their nails down a chalkboard. Chat Noir uncovered one of his ears and snapped his finger again, desperate the make the loud and painful noise stop. A few people were beginning to look out of their windows, curious and annoyed over the horrible racket.

But no matter how many times Chat Noir snapped his fingers, the birds just wouldn't stop.

"Is this your surprise?!" Ladybug yelled in confusion over the cringe inducing screeching of the birds.

"Ummm…"

Frowning, Ladybug ran over towards the bird cage and began fiddling with the clasp on the door until she finally figured out how to unhook it.

"No more evil doing for you, little birds," Ladybug said as she opened the cage door and stepped aside.

The birds immediately stopped screeching and burst free from their confinement, soaring into the sky. Ladybug and Chat Noir watched as they disappeared behind some buildings. However, Chat Noir soon looked away and down at the ground, unable to look Ladybug in the eye, his black, leather ears drooping slightly. He had been scammed. He had been scammed and humiliated. How could Chat Noir have been so stupid? Now he had just embarrassed himself once again. He had embarrassed himself, annoyed Ladybug, annoyed half of Paris, and was still without a decent gift for his lady.

"Chat Noir?" Ladybug questioned in concern.

"I…I've gotta go," Chat Noir mumbled pathetically, fighting back tears of frustration and shame before extending his baton, leaving a confused and worried Ladybug behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... many... birds...*twitches*


	5. Five Gold Rings

Adrien had no idea why he didn't think of this before. He had been thinking way too hard about this whole thing. All this time, he should have just gone back to basics. He should have just gotten Ladybug an item of jewellery. Girls liked jewellery, right? Most of the girls he knew at school wore jewellery. Chloé was covered from head to toe in it, Juleka had her bracelet, Marinette wore earrings, and Mylène wore a necklace.

Yeah, jewellery definitely seemed like a safe bet.

The idea had come to him while he was once again walking through the streets of Paris and came across a cute little jewellery shop. He had once again needed to get out of the house and away from Plagg's constant teasing and laughter. The last incident had especially given Plagg plenty of material to work with.

Adrien shuddered at the memory of what had happened yesterday. That probably had to be the most embarrassing one yet. He couldn't believe that he had subjected Ladybug to that. He wasn't sure how he was going to face her again. By now, she must think that he was a huge freak. Who just randomly showed their partner four shrieking blackbirds, claiming it to be a surprise? Worst of all, it was Ladybug who finally managed to stop the painful racket and set them all free. It really just cemented the fact that he was useless and that all he ever did was screw things up.

But hopefully now he could make amends. He could give her something that would last forever. Something that was more normal and that hopefully wouldn't cause him anymore trouble. It wasn't a gift he had made so it wouldn't fall apart, and it didn't involve any live animals, so there was no chance of his romantic moment being screwed up.

At least, that was Adrien kept telling himself as he peered into all of the glass cases in the small shop, now unsure of what exact piece of jewellery he should get her. Earrings? No, she wouldn't be able to take her miraculous off, so those were out of the question. Maybe a necklace, or a bracelet? At the moment, nothing was really jumping out at Adrien. He wanted the piece of jewellery to be special and mean something. He didn't just want to pick something at random.

Sighing to himself, Adrien headed further inwards, looking at a display full of rings. Maybe a ring would be better as it was more simple and less likely to get damaged? It could match his own miraculous and be symbolic of that, so the ring would always remind her of him. The idea of getting her a ring was sounding more and more appealing by the second.

Feeling his cheeks growing warm, Adrien imagined himself shopping for a ring ten years later. Only this time, it would be an engagement ring. He and Ladybug would have finally revealed their identities to each other after defeating Hawkmoth and would have begun their life together. They'd be settled down in a nice house, and that's when Adrien would know that it was time to take the next step. He would buy her the perfect ring, get down on one knee over a candle lit dinner with the Eiffel Tower in full view, and she would cry tears of happiness before accepting his proposal and jumping into his arms!

Adrien shook his head. He was getting way too ahead of himself. He just needed to focus on getting the ring for her Christmas present for now. Because if he didn't manage to find her the perfect gift in time, he might never get to marry his lady one day. He would be a humiliated, lonely and sad kitty forever.

Gulping, Adrien forced himself to focus on the rings in the case in front of him. They were all really beautiful. Should he get her white gold or normal gold? They were all decorated to a varying degree with beautiful gemstones that sparkled in the light. However, it was the five displayed front and centre in the middle shelf that caught his attention.

They were the most stunning rings Adrien had ever seen. All of them seemed to perfectly represent him and Ladybug. All of them were made out of gold. One of them had a large ruby in the centre with tiny emeralds surrounding it. Another had a line of rubies and onyx around the golden band. All of them had at least a ruby, or an emerald, or an onyx included in the design, making them all perfect representations of him and Ladybug. One even looked like a yin and yang design with how the diamond and onyx had been interwoven.

All five rings looked so breath-taking, Adrien wasn't sure he could choose between them.

"Do you need any help, sir?" The store assistant suddenly appeared out of nowhere, making Adrien jump.

"Oh – umm – I'm trying to choose a ring for my girl – errr – friend. These five rings are perfect, and I just simply cannot choose between them," Adrien admitted, staring at the five rings longingly.

"Hmmm…what is your price range? None of these rings come cheap."

"Oh, the price isn't a problem at all." Adrien quickly waved that notion off. "Huh…you know what then? I'll take all five! She's worth it."

"Yes sir!" The store assistant yelled happily, eagerly dashing towards the cash register.

At least this way, if Ladybug didn't like one of them, she could just pick out the ones she liked. And if she liked all five of them, well, that would be a huge bonus! This was going to impress Ladybug for sure! Surely, nothing could go wrong on this one. He had just simply bought her a few rings. They were made out of real gold and gemstones, so it wasn't like they could break, and there were no animals involved. The rings were perfect! Adrien should have just stuck to the simple gifts all along.

Feeling positive about the whole thing, Adrien quickly paid for them and headed back out onto the street, ready to head home and get the rings somewhere safe before he next saw Ladybug.

He began walking down the street, peering into the bag and admiring the cute little boxes the rings had been placed in before loud screaming suddenly caught his attention. Confused, Adrien looked up just in time to see a crowd of terrified looking people charging towards him. Adrien quickly braced himself for impact while looking around to try and see what had suddenly caused a group of people to panic, his superhero instincts kicking in.

"Akuma!" Someone screamed.

Adrien should have known.

But before Adrien could push his way out of the crowd to try and find somewhere to transform, his bag was knocked out of his hands by the frightened crowd. Adrien then watched in horror as the rings burst free from their boxes at the force of the impact with the ground. He tried to fight his way out of the crowd as quickly as he could in order to try and get to them, terrified that they were doing to get stolen or roll down a drain.

Finally, the crowd ran off, leaving a battered and bruised Adrien behind. Ignoring the pain, Adrien dashed towards where a few of the rings had rolled to, bending down to pick them up and brush the dirt off them.

"Adrien?!" A familiar voice yelled before he heard someone land next to him. "A-are you alright?"

Oh no.

Please no.

Why did the universe hate him so much?

"L-Ladybug?" Adrien stuttered.

"Are you hurt?" Ladybug demanded, her eyes wide with panic as she checked him over, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"N-no, I'm fine."

Ladybug sighed with relief. "What are you doing here? You need to find somewhere safe right away; there's an akuma on the loose!"

"I…"

"You dropped something?" Ladybug asked as she looked down and noticed the remaining four rings that were scattered across the ground before looking at the one in Adrien's hand.

No no no no!

Now she'd seen them! That meant he couldn't give them to Ladybug because then she would immediately know his secret identity! How was it possible that all of his attempts to give her a gift were ending in disaster?! It was like the universe was enjoying torturing him and messing with him, just to see how far it could push him. He was so sure that these rings were perfect. That nothing could go wrong with just simply getting her some rings. But of course, fate had to find a way to ruin things for him.

"What pretty rings." Ladybug smiled as she admired them, her cheeks still tinted pink.

"Oh…yeah…" Adrien muttered miserably. Well, at least he got to know that she liked them, though that thought offered him little to no comfort. She liked them, but he couldn't give them to her now. It would expose his secret identity which Ladybug was firmly against. His romantic opportunity was ruined again. Ladybug was smart. She would make the connection and recognise the rings straight away.

"Anyway," Ladybug said as she quickly picked up the rings – her rings – and gave them back to him. "You need to get somewhere safe! Chat Noir and I will handle this!"

"Yeah." Adrien sighed miserably, taking the rings from Ladybug and putting them back in the bag as Ladybug took off towards the threat.

Despite how rotten he was feeling, Adrien knew that he had to join her. He couldn't leave her to face this akuma alone. That stupid akuma! If it wasn't for that, Adrien would have still had the perfect gift for Ladybug! He was going to make Hawkmoth pay big time for this!

Adrien clutched the bag tightly in his hand as he ran into the nearest ally way so that he could transform. Anger began to bubble inside him, reaching a dangerous boiling point until Adrien could practically feel the steam hissing out of his ears.

His gift idea had been ruined _again._

Right now, Adrien was definitely in the mood for taking on an akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Something other than birds! Thank you guys so much for reading, commenting and leaving kudos. It all helps! See you tomorrow!


	6. Six Geese a Laying

Chat Noir didn't think he had ever felt so determined in all his life. He was determined that this time, his gift idea would work, and that nothing would go wrong. He had made sure to pick the perfect, quiet location, far away from anything else and from any people who might come in and ruin the moment.

Right now, Chat Noir was sticking with the very familiar. He had done a very similar surprise for Ladybug in the past, and although she had initially failed to turn up, when he did eventually manage to show it to her, Ladybug had loved it. So he knew that he couldn't go wrong with this idea. He knew what he was doing, he knew Ladybug loved this sort of thing, there were no animals involved, and he wasn't his civilian self. All of the variables that had caused his plans to go wrong before had been removed.

Therefore, this time, it was bound to work. Right?

Chat Noir did his best to squash down any doubts that he had. Instead, he took a step back and admired his handy work. This was a location he had frequently visited with his mother sometimes when he had been allowed out of the house before he had been banned from coming here by his father.

It was rather emotional just simply being there, but Chat Noir couldn't think of anyone he would want to share this spot with than Ladybug. It had been his and his mother's special place. Now, it could also be his and Ladybug's. His mother would have wanted this for him. She would have loved Ladybug.

The beautiful park was situated not far from the Palace of Versailles. However, it didn't look like a typical park. It looked like someone had taken a section of the countryside and dropped it in the middle of the city. The park was full of beautiful weeping willows, crystal clear lakes with tall reeds, soft, green grass, with the promise of peace and quiet, and a break from the busyness of city life.

Chat Noir had set up the perfect romantic spot, just under a large weeping willow tree next to one of the lakes. The frost on the ground made it look like it was covered in a dusting of icing sugar, and a faint mist hung lowly in the air. It was cloudy, but that only made the light of the candles feel more warm, cosy, and romantic.

Surely, this would be the perfect gift.

Under the tree, Chat Noir had laid out a huge picnic blanket, surrounded by candles and beautiful decorations. There was a picnic basket filled with cakes and pastries, and a flask of hot chocolate leaned against the basket. Ladybug was going to love it; Chat Noir just knew it.

Hopefully here, they could just sit and talk and be themselves. They could relax away from the noise and dangers of the city, take a break from fighting evil, and maybe get to know each other a bit more. Maybe it might even help Ladybug fall for him as much as he had fallen for her. One could only hope anyway.

Now all that was left to do was to go and get Ladybug.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, Chat Noir took off, back into the city. Finding Ladybug was definitely going to be the fun part. He knew that she didn't have patrol until a bit later, so he guessed that he was just going to have to wait for her. But that was okay. He would wait a million years for her.

However, as he was about to stop and wait for Ladybug in their usual meet up place, he was shocked to see Ladybug running across some roofs just ahead of him. He quickly snapped out of that state of shock though and ran after her, easily catching up.

"Hey bugaboo," Chat Noir greeted her playfully.

Ladybug nearly tripped over before coming to a halt. Chat Noir followed suit.

"C-Chat Noir? What are you doing out and about?"

"I might ask you the same question." Chat Noir chuckled.

Ladybug looked away awkwardly, looking incredibly flustered all of a sudden. "I-I had some stuff to do."

"It's okay," Chat Noir reassured her with a warm smile, "you don't have to tell me. But what you do have to do is put this on and come with me." Chat Noir grabbed hold of and held up the blindfold he had kept tied to his belt, ready for this moment.

"A blindfold?" Ladybug asked, confused.

"Don't worry, it'll all make sense soon," Chat Noir explained, walking over to her.

"What are you up to?" Ladybug narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Chat Noir pretended to laugh evilly. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise." He wrapped the blindfold around her head, making sure that her eyes were completely covered.

"There isn't going to be any shrieking birds this time, is there?" Ladybug asked, half nervous, half joking.

Chat Noir shuddered at the memory. "No, cat's honour."

Ladybug smiled and shook her head while Chat Noir waved a hand in front of her face, making absolutely sure that she couldn't see anything.

"How am I going to get to wherever it is you want to take meeeeeee!" Ladybug began shrieking in surprise as Chat Noir scooped her up, holding her bridal style, and causing Ladybug to grip his shoulders in panic. She was about to instinctively remove her blindfold before Chat Noir shifted her weight so that he could free one of his hands to stop her.

"Trust me," Chat Noir once again reassured her.

Ladybug froze for a moment before relaxing in his arms. There was a small smirk on her face as she curled into his chest, allowing herself to be at his mercy. Chat Noir smiled down at her, tempted to just stand here and stare at her face all day. But he knew that would be weird. Plus, he had to get her to his surprise. He was dying to see her reaction and spend some time with her.

With that thought in mind, Chat Noir took off back towards the park with Ladybug nestled in his arms. He loved the feeling of her warmth against his chest. Every now and then, her soft, dark hair would tickle his chin, sending shivers down his spine. His legs felt wobbly and weak as he continued to run with her, and his heart soared in his chest at the feeling of having her so close to him. He could feel his cheeks growing warm, however, he refused to allow shyness to overpower him this time. He was going to be the confident, romantic Chat Noir, not shy, awkward Adrien.

He finally made it back to the park, and the quiet stillness of the area was instantly relaxing. He could sense Ladybug's confusion at the sudden lack of the sound of traffic. Now all that could be heard was the sound of birds singing and the rippling of the lake water as it gently washed against the shore.

Chat Noir landed near the picnic area he had set up, allowing Ladybug to have a perfect view of it when he took her blindfold off. He gently set Ladybug down, and she wobbled on her feet slightly, but luckily, Chat Noir caught her, chuckling as Ladybug's cheeks turned slightly pink over what just happened.

Ladybug soon regained her balance though, and Chat Noir let go of her to walk around behind her so that he could start removing her blindfold. He removed it slowly in order to try and increase Ladybug's anticipation. Finally, he pulled the fabric from in front of her eyes, and Ladybug gasped and froze at the sight before her.

Chat Noir couldn't help but grin from ear to ear at her facial expression. She loved it. He could tell. He watched as she continued to stare at everything before her with wide eyes. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and Chat Noir's heart was ready to leap out of his chest over how beautiful she looked.

This was it! He had finally done it! He had finally given her the perfect gift!

"Chat…" Ladybug gasped.

_Hisssssssssssssssssss._

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug slowly turned their heads to the right towards the lake, looking towards the source of the sudden hissing sound. On the edge of the lake, was a white goose, sitting on top of an egg in a nest. It was staring them down, and Ladybug and Chat Noir stared back, shocked that something as small and non-threatening looking as a goose had produced such a terrifying sound.

 _Hisssssssssssssssssss,_ it hissed at them again.

However, Ladybug soon turned around and ignored it, a smile forming on her face again as she stared up at Chat Noir. But Chat Noir's eyes kept nervously flickering towards the goose. He could have sworn that he had memory from when he was a child of being chased by one of those things. Maybe that was the reason that his father never let him come back here after that incident.

"Aww, Chat, you really didn't have to –"

_Hisssssssssssssssssss._

Ladybug was once again interrupted by the sound of the goose hissing at them.

They both turned their heads to stare at it again, and this time, five more geese began to waddle their way out of the reeds, as if they were coming to see what all the fuss was about. All of them instantly locked eyes with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and began hissing at them as well.

Chat Noir darted behind Ladybug, terrified as he peered over her shoulder, the memories of that day finally coming back to him.

Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.

"It's okay, Chat," she tried to reassure him, "they're just geese."

"More like devils with wings," Chat Noir gasped out, beginning to back away and pull Ladybug along with him.

Ladybug continued to laugh, however, her laughter soon morphed into a terrified scream as the geese began charging towards them, quaking and hissing as they did so, angrily flapping their wings as they ran towards them.

"Okay, yeah, they are kinda scary," Ladybug admitted in a shaky voice before she screamed as one of the geese tried to jump up at them.

Chat Noir screamed as well, both he and Ladybug clinging onto each other in fear as they tried to back away, hoping that the geese would finally get bored and head back towards the lake. They had no such luck though. The six geese continued to charge towards them, trying to jump up at them.

With one final scream that echoed around the park, both Ladybug and Chat Noir took off, completely abandoning the picnic as they ran for their lives, the six geese continuing to chase them deep into the evening mist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geese are literally super evil. I've lost count of the amount of times that I've been chased by them. I hope that you're all enjoying the story so far and thank you so much for comments and kudos! See you again tomorrow!


	7. Seven Swans a Swimming

"You know, Kitty, you really don't have to keep doing all these things for me," Ladybug tried to explain as Chat Noir once again tied a blindfold around her head.

"Yes I do," Chat Noir insisted, "especially since your other surprises ended in disaster." He walked back around in front of her, waving a hand in front of her face. When she didn't flinch away, Chat Noir knew that she definitely couldn't see, and that the blindfold was properly in place.

He had spent all day working on this new surprise. Once again, he had stayed up practically all night trying to come with something new. His eyes were burning and begging for sleep, but Chat Noir was able to ignore it. He had fallen asleep at his desk and gotten an hour of shut eye, so he should be good. Though no doubt his father would kill him once he noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Luckily, his mask hid them from Ladybug. She would probably kill him too if she knew that he was losing sleep over trying to find the perfect gift for her.

But once again, Chat Noir was determined to get her the perfect gift. So far, all of his attempts had ended in disaster one way or another. He refused to give up. He refused to let Ladybug go without simply because he seemed to be cursed with bad luck lately.

Chat Noir had even more meticulously planned out this surprise. It had taken him a while to come up with the idea, but a spark was set off in his mind when Plagg mentioned the mushy poetry that he had written for Ladybug some time ago now. The poem that Ladybug seemed to have answered.

Did that mean that she liked poetry?

Chat Noir felt like it was a pretty safe bet. However, he didn't just simply want to write her a poem and read it to her. He really wanted to go all out and read it to her during the perfect romantic moment. His poem made a lot of references to swans and water, so Chat Noir wondered about maybe reading it to her by some sort of pond. That's when he had spotted a row boat hire add while browsing through possible locations. He made extra sure to check if that pond was frequented by geese. It wasn't. The pond often had swans and ducks, but those birds weren't aggressive little devils. Him and Ladybug would be perfectly safe.

At the memory of the geese, Chat Noir shuddered, still feeling the ghosts of their beaks pecking and biting at his arm. He couldn't believe he had put Ladybug through something like that. He was honestly surprised that Ladybug still wanted anything to do with him with the amount of confusion and embarrassment he had put her through lately.

Chat Noir couldn't help but smile at her. He was so unbelievably lucky to have her as his friend and partner. He only wished that they could be something more. But maybe his plan for today would help with that. Of course, he did just simply want to give Ladybug a gift to remember, but if that could lead to them ending up together, then Chat Noir certainly wasn't going to complain. It would be the best Christmas present ever.

He could just imagine it now. Ladybug being amazed by the beautiful scenery of the pond, in awe of his poem and how he felt about her. As they drifted across the large pond, she would lean forward, her eyes becoming hooded as he too leaned towards her, captured by her gravity. Her warm lips just inches away from his own, the distance between them growing ever smaller –

"Chat?"

Chat Noir shook his head. "Huh? What?"

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked, beginning to sound worried. "You completely spaced out on me there."

Chat Noir couldn't help but smile goofily at her, getting giddy at the thought of his fantasy possibly coming true. "I'm _purrfect_ , my lady. Nothing to worry about."

Ladybug sighed, and Chat Noir imagined her rolling her eyes underneath the blindfold, his pun and playfulness seeming to quell her concerns.

"As I was trying to tell you before you zoned out on me," Ladybug continued to explain, "I hope you're not putting too much pressure on yourself to come up with a gift for me, because I get the feeling that that's what this has been all about. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but the first –"

"Don't worry, my lady," Chat Noir interrupted her, causing her to frown slightly, "it's no trouble at all. Now follow me."

Chat Noir gently took hold of her hand, and Ladybug sighed, but relented, allowing herself to be pulled along by him. Chat Noir lead her down the park pathway towards the pond, ignoring the odd looks they were receiving from passers-by. Nothing was going to spoil this moment. Chat Noir refused to allow it.

Finally, Chat Noir managed to locate the little hut that lead onto a small, simple wooden pier where some cute looking boats were tied to the wooden pillars. A bored looking man was waiting inside, and Chat Noir placed his hand over a very confused Ladybug's ears as he asked to hire one of the boats. He handed the money over, and soon the guy came out of the back of the small boat with a set of oars in his hands. He gave them to Chat Noir before untying the rope, holding onto it and motioning for Chat Noir to climb inside.

Grabbing hold of Ladybug's hand again, Chat Noir helped her climb into the boat. She was extremely wobbly on her feet, but luckily he managed to help her sit down in time before she fell over. Chat Noir would definitely never get over the shame if he had allowed that to happen. He'd already put his lady through enough.

Chat Noir climbed in after her, sitting down and inserting the oars into place. Confident that they were all set, the man let go of the rope and gave the boat a gentle kick to push it out into the large pond. A few other people were out rowing, but they were all quite some distance from each other, guaranteeing him and Ladybug the peace and quiet that they needed.

Rowing the boat was much easier as Chat Noir, and soon they were heading towards the centre of the pond where seven swans were gracefully swimming around, just minding their own business. Though Chat Noir was careful not to stray too close to them as he didn't want a sneezing fit to ruin the moment.

As he kept them drifting further out into the pond, Chat Noir reached down and grabbed a piece of paper he had kept tucked into his belt. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to memorise his poem, but that was okay, he was sure that Ladybug wouldn't mind, especially when she was swept away by his romantic gesture and amazing gift to her.

"Okay," Chat Noir finally said to Ladybug, "you can take your blindfold off now."

Ladybug wasted no time in reaching up and untying the piece of cloth. Her eyes instantly widened as she could finally take in the scene before her. The water surrounding them was glistening in the evening sun, and the sky was beginning to turn a brilliant shade of orange, making the water appear darker and sparkle even more. The swans continued to swim around them, as if they were part of some intricate dance.

"Chat…this is amazing!" Ladybug gasped out, sounding almost breathless as she smiled over at the swans that were circling their boat.

Chat Noir found his eyes drawn to them too, watching them as they swam around in circles, slowly and gracefully. They were so peaceful to watch. It was like a lullaby for his eyes. All that was missing was some beautiful classical music to make this scene even more complete.

They swam this way and that way, and both Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn't help but be hypnotised by them. Chat Noir was grateful for the calming effect that they were beginning to have on him. It was like they had tamed his mind, slowing his racing and nervous thoughts down to a point where he was beginning to feel light and weightless. It made him just want to close his eyes and enjoy the tranquillity of the moment…

"CHAT!" Ladybug suddenly screamed.

Chat Noir's eyes snapped open just in time to realise that he had slumped to the side, but it was too late. He had leaned too far over. The small boat capsized under his weight, tipping them both to the side and into the freezing pond water. The coldness was the first thing that hit Chat Noir as he fell in. It sent shockwave after shockwave through his body, and his mind began to race in panic. Luckily, he had managed to keep his head above the water. He kept his arm held above the surface too, making sure that his poem didn't get soaked and ruined by the water.

Ladybug! Was Ladybug okay?!

He instantly turned around in the water to see Ladybug treading water next to him with a very confused and worried expression on her face. She didn't seem to care that she had just been tossed into the water because of him, but rather looked more concerned for him.

"Chat, are you okay? Did you just fall asleep?!" Ladybug sounded increasingly terrified for him.

The boat began floating away from them, leaving them stranded out in the middle of the pond. Chat Noir could feel his teeth beginning to chatter slightly, but he could feel a mad destination building up inside him. His poem was safe. He could still read it to Ladybug!

However, a nearby swan suddenly took off out of the water and flew towards him, easily plucking the piece of paper out of his hand, leaving Chat Noir to stare at where his poem had just been moments before with his mouth wide as if to scream, only no sound came out. He'd done it again. He'd ruined everything!

"Chat?" Ladybug asked in concern again.

Chat Noir couldn't bring himself to say anything. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. What must Ladybug think of him? He had just fallen asleep on a boat and tipped them both out of it. He was nothing more than a walking disaster. The moment had once again been ruined.

He would not cry in front of her. He would not cry in front of her. _He would not cry in front of her._

As if she could sense his thoughts, Ladybug sighed and swam towards him, gently grabbing hold of his hand under the water. Her dark hair clung to her face as she smiled at him reassuringly, and that instantly helped Chat Noir fight back the tears that were threatening to burst free.

"Come on," Ladybug urged caringly, pulling Chat Noir along, "race you back to the shore!" She then took off, leaving Chat Noir to stare after her in surprise.

She wasn't mad? She wasn't annoyed with him? She wasn't fed up of everything he had been doing lately?

Ladybug truly was one in a million.

Chat Noir quickly shook his head before laughing and taking off after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, why so many birds?! Make it stoooooppp! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this installment and thank you so much for all of your wonderful support so far! You guys are awesome! See you tomorrow!


	8. Eight Maids a Milking

Okay, this idea had to work!

Though Ladybug didn't seem to be too bothered by all of his gifts to her ending in disaster, Chat Noir certainly was. At this point, he was really getting sick of embarrassing himself in front of her. He was sick of putting her in awkward situations. That last one was probably the most humiliating yet. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep and caused them both to fall into the water.

Ladybug should have been angry at him, yet she wasn't. After everything he had been doing to her lately, he was surprised that she didn't just tell him to leave her alone. She must have the patience of a saint. Though everyone had a breaking point, and Chat Noir was terrified that he was going to find Ladybug's if he didn't find the perfect gift for her, and soon!

But today, Chat Noir was sure that he had come up with the perfect plan. A Christmas market and fair was currently going on in Paris, so he had decided to turn it into a day trip for him and Ladybug. Then, if Ladybug spotted some stuff that she liked, Chat Noir would secretly get it for her, then he could give her a gift that he definitely knew that she was going to like.

However, there was always the chance that Ladybug wasn't going to agree to the trip. She could have been busy, or just not want to go. He had been so nervous about asking her, because if she said no, then his plan would be ruined before it had even took off. But luckily, Ladybug seemed to be out and about in the city a lot more often lately, patrolling when Chat Noir was sure that she wasn't scheduled to. Chat Noir wasn't going to complain though. It meant it was easier finding her when he needed to enact his gift ideas. And much to Chat Noir's surprise and good fortune, Ladybug had agreed! Though she did seem a little uncertain at first.

It was a good thing Chat Noir was the master of begging and cute kitten eyes. So it was impossible for Ladybug not to fully relent and tag along with him to the market.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for us to be here?" Ladybug asked beginning to sound unsure again. "I know you want to go shopping with me, and I'm happy to, but what if people become distracted by us?"

Chat Noir chuckled. "It's only a few days until Christmas. I think people will be more concerned with buying last minutes presents than they will be by us."

"Maybe you're right," Ladybug began to relax more once she looked around and realised that Chat Noir was right. Most people did seem incredibly distracted by their shopping.

People were pushing and shoving their way towards all of the different market stalls filled with a wide variety of gift related material. It was all rather cute and cosy once you ignored the stress and panic radiating off most of the shoppers. Pretty lights were strung above them, and there were a few game stalls as well that filled the air with laughter.

Chat Noir wasn't really sure what Ladybug's interests were, so he just walked casually along, making sure to keep a close eye on Ladybug in case her face began to light up at the sight of anything she liked or might want.

They kept walking and walking and walking, but Ladybug seemed to be showing little to no interest in anything. Chat Noir could feel a nervous sweat droplet dripping down his face the longer they remained walking together in silence. It was beginning to feel increasingly awkward as they walked forward with no purpose. Soon, it was getting a point where they were reaching the end of the gift stalls and more towards the fair side of the event.

The bright lights of the rides in the distance were hypnotic, and Chat Noir quickly looked away, terrified that he might accidentally fall asleep again like he did the last time. He had made sure to get some more sleep last night, but he had lay awake, tossing and turning for hours, worried about finding Ladybug a Christmas present.

Chat Noir looked down at Ladybug again as she walked alongside him. She wasn't even looking around at anything! In fact, she looked rather distracted as she stared down at the ground as she followed him. She was supposed to be looking around at stuff! Why wasn't she? How was he going to find the perfect gift for her if she didn't look around? Great, did this mean that this plan was also ruined? Why wasn't Ladybug interested in anything? If she wasn't going to bother looking at anything, then why did she agree to tag along?

This was very quickly going downhill. Chat Noir really needed to try and save the situation.

"So, what is it exactly you're looking for?" Ladybug asked as they came to a stop by the last stall. She placed her hands on her hips as she looked back and smiled at all of the shoppers.

"Oh…I…" Chat Noir stuttered.

So that was it. She was under the impression that she was just tagging along to help him shop for someone else. Ugh, he really should have been clearer when he was trying to get her to come with him. Maybe he had tried to play on her heroism trait a bit too much and accidentally made it sound like he needed help trying to find someone else a gift. How was he going to save this now?

_Think Chat Noir, think!_

"Maybe if you pointed out some of the stuff that _you_ liked, that might –" Chat Noir quickly cut himself off once he looked back up and realised that Ladybug was no longer standing next to him. His eyes widened, and he whipped his head around to look in every direction. Where had she gone? What was she doing?

However, he soon sighed with relief once he realised that she hadn't wondered too far. Her bright red and black spotted suit made her stand out in the crowd. She was standing by some fenced off area and it looked like she was bending down to look at something. Did this mean that she had finally seen something that she liked?

Wasting no time, Chat Noir quickly bolted over to her, skidding to a halt just behind her to try and peer over her shoulder and see what she had found. Much to his dismay though, it was nothing more than a baby goat that was peering at her between the bars of the fence. Ladybug was cooing at it, reaching in through the fence to stroke the top of it's head, and the little goat baaed happily in response.

Chat Noir's leather cat ears flattened on top of his head in annoyance.

"Awww, Chat, look, they're having some sort of animal show," Ladybug squealed as she pointed towards a large tent that a lot of people were beginning to gather in.

"Yeah, that's great, but," Chat Noir murmured as he looked back towards the shopping stalls before glancing towards Ladybug's eager and excited face again as she stared at the large red and white tent.

He could feel his resolve instant beginning to weaken. He really couldn't deny his lady anything.

Chat Noir sighed. "You want to go in and watch then?"

Ladybug turned back to look at him. "No, that's okay, I said I would help you with your shopping."

"It doesn't really matter that much," Chat Noir replied, already having wrapped his arm around Ladybug's shoulder, marching them both towards the tent, "I can tell that you really want to watch it."

When they entered the tent, Chat Noir realised it must be some sort of farm display. In the middle of the tent, surrounded by the spectators, were eight women, dressed in traditional peasant attire, milking the cows. They were talking to the crowd, explaining how everything worked, and the different methods that were used throughout the centuries.

Ladybug seemed pretty interested in the whole things, however, Chat Noir couldn't help but look back towards the shopping stalls. He really needed to think of a way to get Ladybug to spot something. He was stupid for bringing her in here, however, he just couldn't say no to her. Most of the people in here seemed pretty fascinated by the whole thing, most of them being city dwellers for most of their lives and never getting to see country and farm life.

"Now then, do we have any volunteers?" The voice of one of the women brought Chat Noir out of his thoughts, and he instantly looked back towards the centre of the tent again.

A few of the women then gasped.

"Is that…Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Another one of the women gasped out.

The crowd began murmuring to each other and straining themselves to get a look at the heroes they hadn't noticed in their midst. Chat Noir immediately struck a pose cockily, never able to resist the limelight of being a superhero. Meanwhile, Ladybug gave an awkward smile and wave.

"Perhaps Paris' dear heroes would love to have a go?" One lady suggested.

"That's okay –" Chat Noir and Ladybug immediately began to protest at the same time, however, they were quickly interrupted by the cheering of the crowd.

Well, it looked like they had no choice. They had an adoring crowd to please after all. It looked like Chat Noir's idea would once again have to wait.

Chat Noir and Ladybug made their way into the centre where the cows were, and Chat Noir had to admit that cows were a lot bigger and more intimidating looking than he had imagined. A lot of them were practically bigger than he was. Two of the women pulled him and Ladybug towards separate cows and handed them a stool and pail. Ladybug looked completely lost and unsure, so Chat Noir knew that this could be a perfect moment to impress her and the citizens of Paris.

"Now," one of the ladies began explaining to Chat Noir, "you need to be careful of –"

"Madame, I'm a superhero, I think I can handle a few cows." Chat Noir smirked confidently before tapping the back of the cow he had been assigned. However, he took a startled step back as the cow began mooing loudly before kicking out its legs and charging towards the rest of the cows.

Everyone in the tent gasped as all of the cows began kicking and running around in panic. Ladybug began slowly backing away, her eyes wide in panic before they flickered towards Chat Noir in confusion. He shrugged, smiling innocently in response. The eight women in charge began rushing over to the cows in panic, trying to calm them down.

But the gasps of the audience soon turned into screams as the cows began charging towards them, breaking down the barriers as if the metal bars were as thin as toothpicks. The audience fled for their lives, and Chat Noir knew that he was going to have to fix the mess he had made.

Frowning in determination, Chat Noir leapt up into the air, landing in front of the cows, ready to try and stop them. But they were a lot stronger than they looked, and they easily mowed him down, knocking him to the ground before trampling all over him as they continued to run out of the tent in panic.

Chat Noir placed his hands on the back of his head in an attempt to protect himself, and luckily his suit provided him protection from most of the onslaught. It felt like forever, but the cows finally ran off with the eight ladies still chasing after them.

All Chat Noir could do was lay there, once again feeling completely humiliated, but also like he had just been run over by a huge truck. The breath had been knocked out of him, and Chat Noir let out a wheeze as he tried to push himself up off the ground before collapsing again under his own weight. However, he looked up as he saw a shadow beginning to fly over him.

"Who knew you could cause so much damage without your cataclysm." Ladybug shook her head in disbelief as she swung over him, her yo-yo hooked around a lamppost. She landed in front of him before offering him her hand.

Chat Noir growled in frustration, but he took it and let her help pull him back up. He'd done it again. He'd ruined everything. And even worse this time, his actions had not only just affected him and Ladybug, but an entire market full of people. How was Chat Noir ever going to get over the shame and guilt of this one?

However, Ladybug's voice soon interrupted Chat's self-deprecating thoughts.

"Now come on, let's go stop those rampaging cows."

"Right behind you, my lady," Chat Noir replied miserably as they both took off towards the commotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, something other than birds again! Thank you for the support with this story so far! See you tomorrow!


	9. Nine Ladies Dancing

"Okay, nine Ladybug's, do you remember the plan?" Chat Noir asked as he turned to face the nine women cosplaying Ladybug in front of him.

All of the women nodded.

Chat Noir had to say that a lot of the costumes at this con were really quite impressive. Some were almost perfect and spot on – pun intended. It really was amazing how much effort some people would go to in order to look like their favourite hero for the day. He had made sure to pick nine of the best cosplayers, who it turned out were a group of performers, and they had been more than happy to take part in his new plan.

This had to work, for sure.

Chat Noir had decided to go back to his more abstract gift ideas. Ladybug clearly wasn't really interested in any material possessions as demonstrated by their disastrous trip to the Christmas market yesterday. Chat Noir's body still ached from being trampled on by all of those cows. It was harrowing to a point where he had even had nightmares last night about a cow sitting on his chest; he woke up feeling like he couldn't breathe.

After that, he had lay awake for the rest of the night, pondering what present to try and give her next. It was getting to a really frustrating point where Chat Noir was desperate and running out of ideas. Everything else had ended in disaster. Surely something had to go right for him at some point? He really was one unlucky kitty at the moment.

But at least this idea was simple. He would have these girls dressed as Ladybug dance for her in a show of appreciation. Hopefully Ladybug would be blown away by this idea. And there were no animals in sight to ruin things this time. Just nine well trained performers.

What could go wrong?

"Ummm…excuse me?" A familiar, snooty voice called from behind them.

Chat Noir turned around just in time to see Chloé, dressed in her very expensive and realistic looking Ladybug costume, storming towards them with an angry look on her face. Oh no, Chat Noir had forgotten that his oldest friend was a huge Ladybug fan and that she would probably be here. He knew immediately what was about to come next.

"You're putting on a performance for Ladybug and you didn't include _me_ in it?!" Chloé demanded, horrified at the notion.

Chat Noir sighed, not in the mood to deal with this right now. "Chloé, these guys are performers. They're putting on an appreciation show for Ladybug, and it has to be perfect," he tried to explain.

Chloé snorted. "But I'm better than perfect! Nobody is a bigger fan of Ladybug than me! I have the best costume, I've got the looks, I've got the talent, so I should be front and centre in the show!"

"But Chloé," Chat sighed out, "the whole show has already been choreographed. These guys are professionals. There's no room for you in it."

"Well, make room!" Chloé ordered. "You're never going to impress Ladybug unless _I'm_ the star of the show. I am her number one fan after all."

"Chloé, please," Chat Noir begged, "this is serious."

"With an attitude like that, you definitely don't belong in the show," one of the Ladybug cosplayers retorted. "Ladybug is the exact opposite of an entitled selfish brat, so the fact that you can't even get into character proves you could never be a part of this performance."

Chloé gasped, and took a step back in offense. "I'm going to make you pay for that!"

"Now, now, ladies." Chat Noir stepped between them. "Chloé why don't you just go and relax and enjoy the show."

"Sure." Chloé smirked, suddenly sounding calm. "I'll enjoy the show alright."

Flicking her golden blonde hair over her shoulder, Chloé walked away, and Chat Noir let out a sigh of relief. At this rate, Ladybug would have gotten here before he had finished sorting everything out. He had already sent her a message to meet him here. She said she was busy at the moment, but that she wouldn't be long.

However, Chat Noir could feel himself growing increasingly nervous as his mind flashed back to all of his previously failed plans. What if this one failed as well? What if he embarrassed Ladybug again? Terrified out of his mind, Chat Noir began praying to every god he could think of. This had to work. _Please, it had to work!_

"Chat?"

Chat Noir nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his lady calling his name. Uh oh, what if the dancers weren't ready? How was Chat Noir going to introduce this? What if Ladybug didn't like it? What if she thought it was boring? Chat Noir wished that the ground would just swallow him up so that he would never have to face any of this. But if he got it right this time, then hopefully he would be well rewarded. He could impress Ladybug with his perfect gift. She would be happy. Just seeing her smile would be worth it.

"What's going on?" Ladybug asked. "Why did you want to meet here? Did you agree that we'd speak at a panel or something?" Ladybug sounded nervous at that idea.

"No." Chat Noir turned around to smirk at her. "I have something much better planned. Hit it ladies," Chat Noir yelled as he pulled Ladybug further back.

The nine Ladybug performers immediately raced into their positions, and a crowd began to gather around them as people knew that something interesting was about to happen. The lights went down, and the music began.

Ladybug gasped and looked up at Chat Noir in confusion before he nodded for her to keep watching. She turned her head back around as the performers began to dance. Their movements were graceful and beautiful, just like Ladybug. They performed different moves with their yo-yos and the crowd gasped in amazement.

Chat Noir looked down at Ladybug again to gage her reaction. Her eyes were wide and a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched them. She looked just as amazed and impressed, if not more so, than the crowd around them. Her eyes were completely transfixed by their every movement, and Chat Noir could feel his heart soaring in his chest at the thought of a gift idea finally working.

He'd finally done it! He had impressed her!

Feeling confident, Chat Noir turned back to watch the nine dancers, when his heart immediately sank all the way down to his feet at the sight of Chloé barging her way through the crowd and storming towards centre stage. A few people in the audience glanced at each other in confusion, unsure if this was all part of the act or not.

But Chat Noir knew that it wasn't.

Panicked, Chat Noir looked down at Ladybug again who was beginning to frown. He guessed she had already sussed that this indeed was not a part of the act. The nine dancers shot Chloé a look of frustration, looking even more angry as she began doing her own improvised dance moves in front of them, blocking them all from the view of Ladybug.

Thankfully thinking on their feet, the nine dancers jumped in front of Chloé, perfectly in sync with each other, completely blocking the crowd's view of her. However, Chat Noir knew that Chloé wasn't going to stand for that.

"Hey!" Chloé yelled, jumping up and down, trying to get herself seen. "Ladybug! Over here! Look at me! _I'm_ your biggest fan! Ignore these losers!"

Chat Noir could feel Ladybug cringing next to him, and saw her quietly facepalm out of the corner of his eye.

No! Chloé was ruining everything!

But it wasn't long before she had had enough, and she began pushing her way past the dancers, knocking them all off her feet. Most of them fell over with painful thuds, crying out in pain as Chloé merely glared down at them, kicking their fallen forms out of the way.

Chat Noir glared at her, and was about to intervene when he caught sight of Ladybug bolting away from the scene, looking slightly upset over the whole thing. Her expression looked completely fed up, and her shoulders were raised as she wrapped her arms around herself, running away from the scene as fast as she possibly could.

Feeling torn, Chat Noir glanced at the dancers who were now having a full blown argument with Chloé, and towards the direction that Ladybug had run off in. Chat Noir's heart immediately lurched after her, making up his mind for him. He took off after her, looking in every direction to try and figure out which way she had headed next.

But spotting her was incredibly difficult. Nearly every girl here was dressed as Ladybug. But finally, Chat Noir spotted her storming towards a guy who was dressed like him, talking to a girl who was dressed as Ladybug.

He quickly ran after her.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Ladybug yelled at the guy dressed as a very convincing looking Chat noir. "I dash off for five minutes and I come back to see you have mistaken another girl for me!"

"What?!" The guy dressed up as Chat Noir shrieked, his eyes darting back and forth between the two Ladybugs.

The real Chat Noir quickly dashed forward and grabbed hold of Ladybug, noticing that her temper was beginning to flare. His partner really needed to practice what she preached. She was accusing _him_ of mistaking her for another girl, yet she was doing the exact same thing. Good thing he had better eyesight.

"Whoa, whoa there Bugaboo, I'm right here." Chat Noir chuckled as he reassured her.

Ladybug froze, turning around to stare at him in confusion.

"I think you need to practice what you preach about not being able to recognise people," Chat said, feeling a little bit salty, but still seeing the funny side of it.

Ladybug still looked confused.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. "Errr, Chat?"

Chat Noir froze.

_Oh no._

"I'm right here." Ladybug sounded completely fed up and done at this point.

Chat Noir turned around to smile at her awkwardly before he let out an embarrassed chuckle.

" _Bugaboo?_ " One of the girls dressed as Ladybug asked in disbelief and amusement.

Chat Noir ignored her and rushed straight over to the real Ladybug.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he pulled her to one side.

Ladybug sighed. "Yeah, sorry I ran off, it's just…Chloé."

Chat Noir stared at her sympathetically before his expression turned to one of confusion as Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo to check something. Her eyes widened before she quickly put her yo-yo away.

"Look, Chat, I've really gotta go, I'll see you for patrol tomorrow." She gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for showing me that show though, it was really nice until…well…you know."

"Yeah." Chat Noir sighed sadly, glancing down at his feet, feeling miserable and defeated again.

Unbeknownst to Chat though, Ladybug gave the dancers a quick wink and a thumbs up which they returned, before she took off, leaving a depressed Chat Noir behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and showing your support! See you tomorrow!


	10. Ten Lords a Leaping

Forget abstract ideas once again, Chat Noir had decided to go back to basics. If he couldn't give Ladybug anything, he couldn't make anything for her, and he couldn't create a beautiful moment for her, then maybe just simply taking her out to dinner would work. After all, how could that possibly go wrong.

But still, Chat Noir wanted to make sure that it was extra special. He decided to take her to one of the most fancy restaurants in town: the one in Mayor Bourgeois' hotel. He was dying to have Ladybug try Marinette's uncle's soup, as he knew it was divine. Plus, he knew that Alya's mother was an excellent chef there. And best of all, he had heard that Chloé would be out for the day.

It was perfect.

Chat Noir had always wanted to have a romantic dinner date with Ladybug, and now was his chance. Of course, it wasn't exactly a date, it was a Christmas treat for Ladybug, but that wouldn't stop Chat Noir from pretending while he was there. He could already feel his cheeks beginning to warm up and turn red at the thought.

Of course, Chat had had to make sure that there was a table available, since it would likely be busy around this time of year. Mayor Bourgeois was all too happy to have them there, getting really excited when Chat Noir had pulled him aside after an akuma attack this morning to ask him. Chat Noir had to remind the Mayor that he wanted this to be a hush hush affair as him and Ladybug would want their privacy. Luckily, the Mayor had given him his word.

"What's going on, Chat?" Ladybug asked as she landed in front of him on the street.

"I'm taking you out to dinner," Chat Noir happily declared, fixing the bow tie he had placed on top of his golden bell. "My treat."

"Dinner?" Ladybug asked, shocked. "Where?"

"At Mayor Bourgeois' restaurant."

"What?!" Ladybug shrieked in horror. "But –"

"Don't worry, Chloé won't be there, I made sure that she wasn't," Chat Noir explained, hooking his arm around Ladybug's before pulling her along down the street and towards the grand hotel. "It's just going to be the two of us having a nice, quiet meal together."

Ladybug relaxed a little at Chat Noir's reassurance, however, she still felt rather tense.

"But this place is really fancy and expensive…I don't know…" Ladybug glanced behind them as if she wanted to flee.

Oh no. Was Ladybug not used to fancy surroundings? Chat Noir had thought that she would be impressed, but instead it looked like the whole situation was making her incredibly uncomfortable. But she was still going along with it. Was she just doing it for his sake? Chat Noir wouldn't put it past her.

He was almost on the verge of giving up before he reasoned with himself that he could still ensure that Ladybug had a good time. He would make sure they were far away from all of the other diners to hopefully make Ladybug feel less uncomfortable. And money was definitely no problem. He would make sure that Ladybug had the best night of her life.

"It's okay," Chat tried to sooth her, "I'll make sure we're far away from everybody else, and don't worry about money, I'm paying."

"Chat! I can't expect you to do that!" Ladybug sounded _really_ uncomfortable now.

"I insist," Chat inserted quickly, "it's my gift to you. Besides, wait until you try the soup here."

"Oh – ummm – right," Ladybug said awkwardly as she continued to follow him into the building.

Chat Noir was shocked at how quiet the entrance was. He was expecting it to be full of people staying in the hotel and waiting for tables at the restaurant. But instead, it looked like the whole place was deserted. Him and Ladybug exchanged a glance, and he could tell that she was wondering the same thing. Just where was everybody?

But still, Chat Noir nervously pressed forward towards the restaurant area, shocked to see that the doors were closed. But…Mayor Bourgeois had promised that space would be available for them. In fact, the Mayor couldn't wait to have them there. So just what exactly was going on? Had something happened? Had there been another akuma attack and neither him nor Ladybug had noticed? It wasn't making any sense.

Growing worried, Chat Noir slowly opened the door, before both he and Ladybug gasped at what awaited them inside. The whole room erupted into cheers as soon as Chat had pushed the door open, revealing what looked like an entire party waiting for them. The Mayor looked like he was the leader of the whole thing as he clapped and cheered the loudest. It looked like he had invited almost every famous person in Paris, including a huge group of people that Chat Noir didn't recognise. And…Chloé was there.

"Our heroes arrive at last!" Mayor Bourgeois proclaimed excitedly.

"What's going on?" Ladybug whispered to Chat Noir. "Did you organise a surprise party or something."

"No, I did not," Chat Noir growled out, glaring at the Mayor. He'd ruined everything. "I just wanted to take you out for a nice dinner," he added.

The Mayor approached them and began forcing them both further into the room.

"What gives?" Chat Noir hissed at him. "You promised me and Ladybug a private evening."

"I'm a politician; I never keep promises," the Mayor chuckled. "When I heard you and Ladybug were coming here, I couldn't resist showing you off to all of my esteemed guests. They all wanted to dine exclusively with Paris' beloved heroes."

Chat Noir rolled his eyes. His gift was already ruined. Mayor Bourgeois just had to hijack the night. Chat Noir was beginning to see where Chloé got it from.

Shaking his head in frustration, Chat Noir glanced down at Ladybug who was once again looking incredibly uncomfortable and like she wanted to bolt out of the room. She had an incredibly awkward smile on her face as Mayor Bourgeois continued to push them both towards all of the guests. Meanwhile, Chat Noir could feel his heart breaking in his chest. His idea had once again been ruined. Now Ladybug was in an awkward situation that looked like it was making her uncomfortable. This was all his fault. He should have taken her somewhere else and been more secretive about it. He should have known that Mayor Bourgeois would likely do something like this.

"I'd like you to meet the ten Lords of the Kingdom of Achoo," Mayor Bourgeois introduced them to some very tall looking men dressed in the finest suits. "They especially wanted to thank you for saving their prince from an akuma attack."

"Oh – umm – nice to meet you," Ladybug said, holding out her hand for them to shake.

One of them took her hand and smiled at her as they shook it.

"And _I'm_ Chloé Bourgeois, daughter of the hotel owner, the Mayor, André Bourgeois, you may have heard of me, especially since I'm all that Prince Ali likely talks about," Chloé giggled as she fluttered her eyelashes, pushing herself in between Ladybug and the ten lords.

Both Ladybug and Chat Noir groaned.

"I don't think our prince has ever mentioned you," one of the lords said, looking like he was trying hard to remember.

"What?" Chloé gasped before smiling and waving them off. "I'm sure he's just being shy. Are you here to discuss Prince Ali and I possibly being a couple with daddy? It's an alliance that would be perfect!"

"No," one lord said flatly, looking unamused.

"In fact, maybe Ladybug would be a perfect match for the prince?" another lord suggested.

"WHAT?!" Both Ladybug, Chat Noir and Chloé yelled at the same time.

"There's no way Ladybug would ever date Prince Ali," Chat Noir growled out, jealously standing in front of Ladybug.

"Hey! I can speak for myself!" Ladybug pushed him out of the way.

"Why would he want Ladybug when he's clearly got a thing for me!" Chloé shrieked, stomping her foot.

"Why would our Prince want a little brat like you when he could have the finest superhero in all of Pairs," one of the lords gushed as they began to surround Ladybug, admiring her.

Ladybug blushed before gritting her teeth in anger while Chloé screamed incoherently at their remarks.

"Errr, perhaps, we should get on with dinner," Mayor Bourgeois suggested, growing increasing flustered.

"Daddy, are you going to let them talk to me like this?!"

"I'm sorry sweet pea, but these are very important men, and it's important to be nice to the customer," Mayor Bourgeois laughed out nervously, turning to look at the lords who were still staring at Chloé in distain.

Chloé let out a cry of frustration before storming off, muttering something under breath about making the lords pay for what they said to her.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, your table is over here," the mayor said, gesturing to a large table in the centre.

Chat Noir growled under his breath. This whole night was a complete disaster. He could have been romancing his lady by now, but instead, he was now trapped in Mayor Bourgeois' ridiculous charade. Ladybug looked just as fed up as he did as they were pushed towards their seats.

"I'm really sorry about this," Chat Noir whispered to her guiltily.

"It's okay," Ladybug sighed.

"We want to sit next to the heroes!" the lords began to order.

"Yes, yes, of course." The Mayor gestured towards the seats next to Ladybug and Chat Noir. "For starters we'll be having Marinette soup, a recipe provided by a master chef all the way from China."

Chat Noir was shocked to see Ladybug beam at this. Maybe she had tried the soup before then. There went his plans for introducing her to some amazing food. Was anything about this night going to go right? Maybe they could just ignore the lords and pretend like they were the only two people in the world.

However, Chat Noir didn't get much time to plan how he would do this as their soup soon arrived. The diners eagerly began diving in, as did Ladybug and the lords. Meanwhile, Chat Noir just stirred his soup around in the bowl, too fed up and miserable to eat. His special night with Ladybug had been ruined. Those thoughts made his heart feel like it was made out of lead.

"AHHHHHHHH!" One of the lords began screaming as he jumped out his chair, leaping on the spot as he began rapidly fanning his mouth. Soon, the other lords joined him while all Chat Noir could do was watch them with eyes wide with confusion as they leaped around the room, their faces turning red.

Ladybug gasped too, and Chat Noir turned around, his confused expression turning to one of horror as he watched Ladybug's face turn a deep shade of red before his very eyes. The rest of the diners began screaming and reaching for their drinks, their faces turning red as well.

"Careful, my lords," Chloé chuckled, swaggering towards their table. "I believe the soup is hot."

Chat Noir gasped before glaring at Chloé and reaching for the jug of water in the centre of the table. He quickly handed it to Ladybug who all but snatched it off him and began gulping it down, her face still a bright shade of red, and her whole body twitching as if she was in intense pain.

However, the lords' eyes zeroed in on the jug, and they dashed towards Ladybug, all ten of them beginning to try and fight it off Ladybug while still jumping on the spot from the intense heat. Startled, Ladybug pulled the jug away from her lips, only for the lords to try and yank it off her. Ladybug was able to keep her grip, however, in the process of trying to keep hold of it, the jug had flipped over in her hands, causing the ice water to pour all over her.

Ladybug screamed as the cold water gushed over her body, ice cubes bouncing off her in the process. The lords screamed as well, beginning to try and attempt to lick the cold water off the ground, sighing with relief at the feeling of the cool liquid against their tongues while Chloé stood over them and laughed.

"CHLOÉ!" Mayor Bourgeois screamed angrily.

"Ladybug, are you oka –" Chat Noir tried to ask, but he was immediately cut off.

"I'm fine," Ladybug growled out, looking like she was trying to take deep breaths through her nose to keep herself calm.

The whole restaurant descended into chaos as people fought over water, causing it to spill everywhere, leading many people to slip and fall over.

Completely defeated and helpless over the sight of his lady seething next to him, Chat Noir slammed his head on the table in front of him.

This was probably the worst gift yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, I almost missed a day. Just got it up in time before midnight in my time zone. Hope you're all enjoying things so far! Only two days left now! Take care out there!


	11. Eleven Pipers Piping

This time, Chat Noir was sure that he had the perfect plan. He had made sure to think this idea through extra carefully, leaving no possible outcome up to chance. He was prepared. He would treat his lady to something extra special. He would make sure that this went to plan. Ladybug would have a good time, and he finally would have given her the perfect gift.

"What is it, Chat?" Ladybug demanded worriedly as she dropped down to the ground in front of him before straightening herself out and standing up properly. "What's the emergency?"

Chat Noir pretended to look afraid as he held two theatre tickets out in front of him.

"We need to hurry, my lady!" Chat Noir exclaimed while Ladybug stared at the pieces of paper in confusion. "These expire in an hour!"

"Wait…what?" Ladybug continued to look perplexed.

"I told you it was an emergency," Chat Noir said smugly as he began spinning his tail around in his hand.

" _That's_ your emergency?" Ladybug gasped, looking slightly annoyed. "Expiring theatre tickets? I thought you had been captured by an akuma or something! I was frantic!"

Chat Noir gasped, his ears drooping slightly as he realised it probably was a stupid idea to lead Ladybug here this way. He had hoped that she would see the funny side, but he supposed he could understand why Ladybug was sounding so mad. Maybe he should have just asked her to meet him as normal, but he was worried that after everything that had happened lately, especially last night, that Ladybug might not turn up. Especially with how busy she seemed to be all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry, it's just…I was worried with how disastrous last night went, I…I was worried you might not show up…" Chat Noir admitted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

Ladybug's face softened slightly. "Aww, Kitty, that wasn't your fault."

Chat Noir sighed. "I feel like it was. I should have been more careful. I've done nothing but embarrass you and put you in awkward situations these past few days, and I'm sorry. But let me make it up to you today. I got us these tickets to see this fancy new show. They're called The Eleven Pipping Pipers, and I thought you might, I dunno, want to try it out?"

"Are you sure it's such a good idea?" Ladybug asked nervously. "Last night when we went out in public we ended up being hounded, and look where being recognised in public got us while we went shopping in that market."

"Fear not, my lady, for I have thought of everything!" Chat Noir proclaimed confidently, reaching behind him in the small ally to pick up a stash of clothes that he had brought for just the occasion. Being a model had its perks. Chat Noir had been able to snatch some clothes from the dressing room. He wasn't sure what Ladybug's size would be, but he hazard a guess.

"Ummm?" Was all Ladybug could respond with as Chat Noir handed her a fancy looking dress and large hat. The dress unfolded itself in her hands, draping down her body, going way past her feet before rolling itself out on the ground.

Oops.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him.

All Chat Noir could do was smile awkwardly as he pulled a fancy tux over his superhero suit. "Maybe it'll start a new fashion trend?"

"Ha ha, very funny," Ladybug grumbled as she fought to pull the large dress obviously meant for a much taller, fully grown woman over herself, nearly tripping over the hem of the dress multiple times as she did a test walk in it.

"Of course, we could always just go to the theatre together as our civilian selves. That would save people from recognising our superhero forms." Chat Noir winked at her.

"Nice try." Ladybug then sighed as she stared down at herself. It was still very much obvious that she was Ladybug, only now she looked more ridiculous with the fancy red dress that was much too large for her hanging off her body. Her arms and chest were still totally exposed, revealing the superhero suit underneath that would easily give them away to anyone.

"This isn't going to work." Ladybug noted, looking far from amused.

Chat Noir thought for a moment before chuckling as he removed his black jacket and wrapped it around Ladybug. The jacket was huge on her, making Ladybug look like some sort of little kid. He tried not to laugh at her appearance, knowing that it would only cause Ladybug to further question whether the idea would work, but no doubt Ladybug could probably easily see through him.

However, Ladybug didn't say a word. Her face was completely unconvinced, but she still seemed willing to go along with his idea. This gave Chat Noir hope. Hope that things were finally going to go his way. That he could finally impress Ladybug and give her the perfect gift. Because getting Ladybug to go along with his idea was half the battle; a battle he had now already won.

"My lady," Chat Noir bowed to her before offering her his arm.

This time, Ladybug couldn't help but giggle as she took his arm and let him lead her out of the ally and towards the theatre. As they approached the building, they pulled their hats down in front of their faces to try and hide their obvious masks from view. Luckily, the building was incredibly quiet, most people already probably having been seating for the show.

This was it. Chat Noir was finally going to do it. They were disguised so they wouldn't be hounded by people. There were no animals involved. There was no Chloé to ruin things. He hadn't made anything that could break apart. He was making sure to keep his tickets clutched tightly so he wouldn't drop them or allow anyone or anything to snatch them out of his hand. He had paid attention to every detail, and he was going to make this work. Ladybug would finally have her gift. He would make sure of it. _Nothing will go wrong this time!_

Pulling their hats further over their faces, Chat Noir handed the usher their tickets. The man looked a little freaked out by them, so he quickly tore their tickets and pointed them in the direction of their seats. Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly dashed into the theatre, where luckily they had been seated on the second floor, hopefully meaning that they would be far away from the eyes of everyone else in the room.

Their seats were right at the front of the balcony, providing them with a perfect view of the show, which was just beginning to start as they took their seats. They had made it! Everything was going perfectly! Him and Ladybug were going to be able to see this show in peace.

The music was amazing, each wind instrument sounding perfect as the sound caused the whole room to vibrate, relaxing everyone in the audience. The eleven musicians in the show certainly were talented. Ladybug looked like she was really enjoying it as she laid back in her seat, closed her eyes and just listened with a small smile on her face. Soon, Chat Noir wasn't paying attention to the show at all, but was rather staring at his lady instead. Her features were so soft and delicate. Chat Noir longed to feel the softness of her cheeks against his bare hand, to press his lips against hers and –

"Chat? Are you okay?" Ladybug's concerned voice snapped Chat Noir out of his daydreaming.

The music was still playing, only this time, Ladybug had opened her eyes, only to probably noticed Chat Noir staring at her. She looked a little uncomfortable and worried, and Chat Noir's cheeks burst into flames as he scrambled through his brain, trying to think up some sort of believable excuse.

"I…erm…I have to go to the bathroom," Chat Noir lied, mentally smacking himself over that being the only thing he could come up with.

"Oh – umm – okay…" Ladybug replied, still sounding confused. "But don't you want to wait until the intermission?"

"Oh, no, it's really urgent." Chat Noir crossed his legs for good measure, wanting to kick himself for being this awkward and embarrassing.

Ladybug didn't say anything as Chat Noir quickly turned on his heel to head out of the theatre and find a bathroom. While there, he could maybe hide for five minutes while he regained his composure and got over the cringe inducing awkwardness of having been caught creepily staring at his lady in the dark while totally not fantasising about her in any way shape or form.

While beginning to shuffle his way out of the row of seats, Chat Noir turned to watch the pipers, feeling guilty about missing most of their show while he was busy staring at Ladybug. However, as he was walking along while staring at the eleven pipers, Chat Noir's foot became caught on one of the legs of the chairs, tripping him over. Chat Noir yelped, feeling himself topple over the rails of the balcony. Instinctively, Ladybug lurched forward, and they attempted to grab hold of each other, but all Chat Noir could reach was her baggy dress, which he tore off as he continued to fall.

Knowing that it was the only way to save himself, Chat Noir grabbed his baton before jamming it into one of the light fixtures, halting his fall, and causing him to dangle in mid-air, and for his hat to slip off his head, sending it fluttering to the audience below.

The audience had already begun to look up to see what all of the commotion was about, and gasped at the sight of Chat Noir dangling above them while Ladybug tried to reach for him. Ladybug facepalmed while Chat Noir smiled and awkwardly waved at the startled people below him. The lights in the theatre turned back on, and the pipers stopped playing. Some of the pipers looked annoyed while others stared at the two superheroes in shock.

"It's Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Someone yelled.

Chat Noir then shrieked as the audience began dashing towards them, kicking and flipping himself so that he was standing balanced on his baton before running back towards Ladybug. He yelped again before leaping into her waiting arms as swarms of people began to surround them.

Using her yo-yo, Ladybug managed to swing them out of the room and over the heads of the rabid crowd, dying to take pictures with them and get their autograph. Still carrying Chat Noir in her arms, Ladybug dashed out of the theatre as fast as possible, before she quickly darted back into the ally that her and Chat Noir had met up in earlier. The crowd ran past them, and Ladybug sighed in relief before putting a shell-shocked looking Chat Noir down.

"That was close," Ladybug said, out of breath.

Chat Noir turned his back on Ladybug and took a few steps away, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he fought back tears. His heart felt like it had been ripped in half as it pulsated and throbbed in his chest like a deep wound. He gritted his teeth together as he could feel sobs trying to claw their way out of his chest.

He'd done it again.

For the eleventh time, he had ruined everything.

And that was it now.

It was Christmas Eve. He had no more chances.

He had failed to come up with the perfect gift for Ladybug. Every time he had tried, something had always ruined it, whether it was himself or someone or something else. How could he have let all of this happen? Now Ladybug was likely going to hate him. He was going to be a sad, lonely kitty, just like he was every other Christmas. He had hoped that he could cope due to the satisfaction of having done something nice for Ladybug, but he couldn't even achieve that.

"Chat?" Ladybug asked gently. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Chat growled out through clenched teeth, still not turning around to look at her.

"Clearly you're not," Ladybug replied, sounding increasingly worried.

Chat Noir sighed in frustration, a few tears finally bursting free of his eyes. "All I wanted to do was give you a really nice gift this Christmas. I wanted to do something special for you, _but no!_ The universe hates me! All I've done is get us into trouble and put us in embarrassing situations!"

Ladybug sighed. "Chat, listen –"

"I don't even know why you put up with me. I'm nothing but a failure and a joke. Happy Christmas Ladybug. I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything special. I suppose the best gift I can give you now is to leave you alone." Chat extended his baton.

"No, Chat, wait!" Ladybug pleaded, but it was too late. Chat Noir had already taken off, leaving a worried Ladybug behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go now and that will be out tomorrow! As if it's Christmas Eve. This year has just felt like a timeless blur. I hope that you're all doing okay, and thank you so much for all of your awesome support! It means the world to me! See you tomorrow for the finale!


	12. Twelve Drummers Drumming

It was Christmas Day, and Chat Noir sat miserably on top of the roof of a random building, watching the sun beginning to set over the city of Paris. It cast the city in a beautiful orange glow, and the Christmas lights in the windows of various homes sparkled like twinkling stars. He leaned his chin against his raised knee as his other leg swung freely back and forth, dangling off the edge of the roof. His baton was being gripped tightly in his other hand, and Chat Noir's ears drooped as his thoughts slowly tortured him.

He had failed.

He had failed to get Ladybug the perfect present.

She was probably out there in the city somewhere, having fun with her family and friends, while Chat Noir had been sat on this roof all day, staring into space and feeling lost and neglected. His father had once again forgotten his existence, only having Nathalie gift him with a pen earlier that morning before he was left alone for the rest of the day. No family visits. No Christmas dinner. Only the pen as a present.

In the end, he couldn't take it being locked up in his room, sitting alone with Plagg who was actually feeling sorry for him for once, so he quickly escaped as Chat Noir before his uncontrollable sobs caused him to collapse on this very rooftop. He soon managed to calm himself down though, but after that, he just couldn't bring himself to move from this spot.

The city was unusually quiet, making Chat Noir feel even more lonely and isolated. He truly was the loneliest, saddest kitty in the world. He had no one. He had blown it with Ladybug and now he was on his own. Why did he always seem to have the worst luck in the world? Eleven times he had tried to come up with the perfect gift for Ladybug, and all of them failed. Maybe that was just the universe trying to tell him something. That Ladybug was out of his league and that he didn't deserve her. That he was destined to be on his own forever, unloved by everybody, no matter how many times Chat Noir tried to offer his heart to people. Was it too much to ask just to get a little something back once in a while?

Sighing to himself, Chat Noir curled himself up into a tight ball, trying to make himself as invisible as the world made him feel. Nobody cared about Adrien. He was just the model son of a famous fashion designer, and actress. Nobody cared about Chat Noir. He was just the partner of Ladybug.

He was nobody.

However, Chat Noir's ears suddenly perked up at the distant sound of cheering drifting towards him. He looked out into the distance to where it was coming from to see a few balloons flying into the air, along with what looked like…a giant inflatable version of… _himself?!_

Chat Noir's eyes widened in shock and confusion, frozen to the spot as he watched a large crowd of people began parading down the street towards him. They were all cheering and chanting his name, and it looked like they were having a whale of a time.

What was going on?

Was Chat Noir dreaming?

The parade grew closer and closer, and soon, Chat Noir could make it out in much more detail. There must have been hundreds, no, thousands of people in the party. The giant Chat Noir balloon floated along, being carried by a large group of people. However, what made Chat Noir gasp was just how many familiar people and items that there were down there.

The loud music was coming from twelve drummers who were lined up at the front of the parade, creating a loud beat for the eleven pipers behind them that him and Ladybug had seen yesterday. The drummers were dressed smartly in blue and red uniforms, and it looked like they were leading the way.

Behind the pipers who were playing beautiful music were the lords that had been at the Mayor's dinner party the other day. It looked like they had loosened up as they too were enjoying the party as they were carried along on a parade float.

After them, there was a float carrying the nine dancers that Chat Noir had tried to get to put on a performance for Ladybug. Now, they could dance gracefully without any fear of interruption, and much to Chat Noir's shock, they were now dressed like him instead of Ladybug. Their dance was much more reminiscent of his fighting style and more carefree attitude.

Then behind them were the eight ladies and cows that he had accidentally set on a crowd of people while shopping at that market. Chat Noir could feel himself blushing at the sight of them. Why on earth had _they_ agreed to be a part of this? Chat Noir had thought that he had annoyed them.

Growing even more embarrassed, Chat Noir noticed that trailing behind them was the guy he had hired a boat from, sitting in a giant boat that was filled with swans, along with the six geese that had chased after them in the park. Only they looked a lot more docile now. Typical.

Luckily though, there appeared to be no reference to the five gold rings he had tried to get Ladybug. At least that meant that his identity was safe.

Why were all his failed ideas for Ladybug here though? Had Paris gathered together to mock him? But…they were cheering, so they couldn't have.

It also looked like someone had gathered up a few blackbirds, and this time, had actually trained them to properly sing a beautiful tune. They were all perched inside a large cage on top of a float while a woman gave them treats every time they sung a few right notes.

Then behind that float was one that carried the animal rights guy they had saved earlier that week. He was carrying three of the faverolles chickens with him, who were now looking much healthier and in better condition, having been properly cared for and looked after for the first time in their lives. It was a sight that made Chat Noir happy, despite how those chickens had ruined one of his moments with Ladybug.

Chat Noir really couldn't believe what he was seeing. The party stopped on the street below him, and everyone continued to cheer and have a good time. Who had done all of this? This must have taken an immense amount of planning and coordination. But…who? And why?

"Hey, Kitty." A familiar voice came from behind him, startling him.

Chat Noir whipped his head around, and his eyes widened once again at the sight of Ladybug.

"L-Ladybug?"

"You didn't think I would forget to give my best friend a Christmas present, did you?" Ladybug giggled at his facial expression.

"Y-you did all of this?" Chat Noir stuttered in shock and awe.

Ladybug nodded. "I wanted to show my appreciation for everything you've done for me this year, including all of your disasters from this week. I wanted to show, that even when things go wrong, or things look dire, I'll always care about you, and I'll always want you by my side. I wanted to thank you for being such an amazing partner to me. I couldn't have asked for a better Chat Noir. You truly are amazing, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. Without you, I would still be a nervous, clumsy mess of a Ladybug. You've saved me countless times, in more ways than one."

Chat Noir gulped, trying to swallow back the emotional lump that had formed in his throat. Ladybug walked further towards him with a huge smile on her face and a happy sparkle in her eye. Chat Noir on the other hand was completely lost for words. Ladybug had gone through all this effort… _for him._ She had put this all together as a Christmas gift… _for him._ She wanted to show her appreciation… _for him._

He began to feel like his heart might explode. It had swelled up to twice its size in his chest, making it increasingly difficult for him to breathe. She had gotten him the perfect gift.

Yet he had failed to do the very same thing for her.

"You didn't have to do all of this," Chat Noir mumbled sadly, lowering his gaze, his back turned to the party that was going on below them.

"I know, but I wanted to," Ladybug explained, seeming a bit confused as to why Chat Noir was suddenly so sad. "Chat, what's wrong?" she asked as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's just…you've done all of this for me…and I couldn't even get you a nice gift," Chat Noir sighed as he admitted everything, "that's…that's what these past few days have been about. I wanted to get you something, or do something for you that was really special."

Ladybug chuckled. "I know, and they were all wonderful, Chat. Even when they went wrong."

"What?" Chat Noir gasped, turning to look at Ladybug as if she had grown an extra head all of a sudden.

"I could see that you were trying, and it's the thought that counts." Ladybug playfully nudged him with her shoulder. "Besides, a lot of them did end up being rather amusing."

"Yeah, but you still didn't get anything special," Chat Noir growled, frowning straight ahead again.

That's when Chat Noir noticed Ladybug pull something out from behind her back. Unable to resist, Chat Noir glanced down at it and was shocked to find that it was that stupid partridge in a pear tree that he had tried to make her in his first attempt to give her the perfect gift. Only it looked like Ladybug had managed to fix it. Now, it looked even better than ever, though you could still tell that a lot of Chat Noir's terrible art skills had gone into making it.

"Yes you did." Ladybug smiled. "Your first gift was perfect and all I needed."

"But it was terrible!"

"No it wasn't." Ladybug giggled. "It was adorable."

"But it broke!"

"So? It was easily fixable."

"S-so…all of that other stuff I did…I didn't need to do it?"

Ladybug shook her head. "And Chat, you're the most amazing partner in the world. You in yourself are the perfect gift for me."

Chat Noir smiled at her, feeling his eyes welling up with tears. However, Chat Noir soon gasped as two turtle doves flew towards him, dropping the rose in his hand that he had intended for them to give to Ladybug many days ago now. How long had they been flying around with this thing? It was starting to wilt.

Ladybug looked down at it in confusion.

There was just one more thing Chat Noir needed for this moment to be perfect. He had done it. He had given Ladybug the perfect gift. Now there was just one more thing he wanted more than anything in the world. He'd left his mistletoe at home, but oh well, Chat Noir guessed that the rose would have to do. Maybe the turtle doves had dropped it into his hands for a reason.

"Well…it's not exactly mistletoe, but…" Chat Noir trailed off as he held the rose above his head.

Ladybug burst into fits of cute giggles before leaning forward to give Chat Noir a quick peck on the lips. And in that moment, Chat Noir's heart definitely exploded. The feeling of her lips against his own may have been fleeting, but they were so delectably warm and soft. Chat Noir never wanted the moment to end, but he would take what he could get.

He was soon snapped out of his dreamy state by Ladybug slipping her hand into his.

"Let's go enjoy the party," Ladybug said, beginning to pull him towards the edge of the roof while gently carrying his gift to her.

Chat Noir grinned happily, feeling as light as a feather as he let her pull him along, ready to enjoy the most perfect present she could have ever given him. "Right behind you, Bugaboo."

"Merry Christmas, Kitty." Ladybug smiled back at him, still gripping his hand tightly.

"Merry Christmas, my lady."

* * *

_The End_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap for this story! No pun intended. Thank you so much for reading this story, and thank you so much to those who had left kudos, commented, subscribed amd all that lovely jazz. I really do appreciate any form of support that you can offer me. I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year! And for those who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday period and a wonderful week! 
> 
> Once again, I would like to thank for my friends for being the best of the best. LycoRogue has her own Miraculous fanfictions published on this site, so please do go and check her out! She has some amazing love-square fluffy goodness! You're seriously missing out by not reading her work!
> 
> And of course, I have more stories for you to read if you found you liked my writing style. 
> 
> Take care!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter! See you tomorrow!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Perfect Doesn't Need to be Perfect](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28588839) by [LycoRogue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LycoRogue/pseuds/LycoRogue)




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